Shirley Bloomfield is chief executive officer of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, the premier association representing nearly 850 independent telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. With more than 30 years of experience representing the country’s smallest telecom operators, Bloomfield is an expert on the role of federal communications policies in sustaining the vitality of rural and remote communities and the benefits rural broadband networks bring to millions of American families, businesses and the national economy. Bloomfield has a strong track record of leadership in aligning strategic partnerships among rural telecom companies, their larger counterparts, other rural utilities and federal agencies, advancing digital equity and economic opportunities for rural Americans. Under her leadership, NTCA has promoted public-private partnerships among rural communications providers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FCC, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to rural communities to advance broadband networks and help close the digital divide. Bloomfield is a strong supporter of national efforts to improve the resilience and reliability of critical electric and telecommunications infrastructure and serves as a board member of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative and the Southeast Reliability Corporation (SERC).

Ronna Davis has been in the networking and telecommunication industry for 26 years. She has been with CommScope for over 17 years and has held positions in Strategy, Sales and Channel. She is currently on CommScope’s Strategy and Technology Team for Buildings and Campuses. Ronna co-chairs the TIA SPEC, Single Pair Ethernet Consortium. Prior to CommScope she worked in the design and construction of telecommunications networks for eight years and in wholesale distribution for two years. She is a LEED Green Associate and member of the Ethernet Alliance.

Ronna Davis has been in the networking and telecommunication industry for 26 years. She has been with CommScope for over 17 years and has held positions in Strategy, Sales and Channel. She is currently on CommScope’s Strategy and Technology Team for Buildings and Campuses. Ronna co-chairs the TIA SPEC, Single Pair Ethernet Consortium. Prior to CommScope she worked in the design and construction of telecommunications networks for eight years and in wholesale distribution for two years. She is a LEED Green Associate and member of the Ethernet Alliance.

Ken Hall is a data center architect for North America at CommScope, responsible for technology and thought leadership as well as optical infrastructure planning for global scale and related data centers. In this role he has been instrumental in the development and release of high speed, ultra-low-loss fiber optic solutions to efficiently enable network migration for data center operators.

Previously Ken worked with TE Connectivity in a variety of roles. His experience includes global Network OEM and Data Center program management and strategy, project management, marketing, industry standards and technical sales management. Ken was also responsible for industry standardization and proliferation of small form factor fiber connectors and high-density copper interfaces for network electronics OEMs.

Ken has nine patents to date for fiber-optic connectors and infrastructure management systems. Ken graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Shippensburg University. He is a registered Communication Distribution Designer (RCDD) and Network Technology Systems Designer (NTS).

Eric began his career in the network service provider industry in 2000 working for Cox Communications as a network engineer. During his time there, Middle America Cox sold and became Suddenlink Communications. During his time there, Eric worked to become the Director of Backbone Engineering. Eric was subsequently recruited by Equinix to be a Global Solutions Architect before being recruited by Stream Data Centers as their VP of Network and Cloud. And about 3 years ago, Eric joined the team at Digital Realty Trust as their Director of Solutions Enablement. In his current position, he utilized his diverse experience from his network provider background coupled with his data center industry experience to help Digital Realty to build solutions with their partners and other innovation projects. Eric enjoys helping to build new relationships with customer and partner and outside of work enjoys spending time with his family.

Eric holds a bachelor's degree in business from LeTourneau University, numerous industry certifications.

Like a fabled long-shot story and underdog tale, JJ Birden was The Small Man in the Big Man’s Game of Football.

After earning a scholarship to the University of Oregon for track and field (plus being the #1 high school wide receiver in Oregon), JJ also earned a walk-on spot with the football team his sophomore year. His trials were only just beginning though, and he was faced with many naysayers, followed by a cycle of injuries, and unimpressive stats.

JJ’s hard work, grit, speed, and resiliency were enough to eventually earn him the invite to the NFL Combine, where he dominated. His performance earned him an NFL draft pick, and he was on his way, or so he thought. Another series of injuries and failed physicals culminated in one of the darkest moments in JJ’s early career; JJ was rejected by 4 NFL teams in 5 days.

He could have walked away from the game and given up hope in spite of what seemed like insurmountable odds, but JJ didn’t even flinch. Instead, he did what he’s always done when faced with adversity—he found a way to win.

John H. Daniels is Chief Executive Officer of BICSI, a global professional association supporting the advancement of the information and communications technology (ICT) profession. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.

For over 30 years, Mr. Daniels’ career has spanned professional military service, behavioral healthcare, hospital administration, information & communications technology, and association management. Previously, Daniels led the HIMSS Analytics’ global healthcare advisory services team with offices in Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States providing health IT advisory services to healthcare provider organizations and government health authorities around the world.

Daniels holds a BS degree in Computer Science from West Texas A&M University, a MS degree in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University, and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from American Public University. He is a Certified Healthcare Executive, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems, and he is a HIMSS and ACHE Fellow, and a member of the American Society of Association Executives.

Farukh Aslam is the Chief Executive Officer of Sinclair Digital Services, Inc. a low voltage design & consulting company developing Digital DC-Microgrid Buildings. Aslam has been in the telecom industry since starting a VOIP company in 1999 in Fort Worth and was a very early adopter of Cisco Call Manager, first enterprise VOIP office phone system. Also, in 2003 he started a FTTH (Fiber to the Home) company in Pakistan when telecom was deregulated which was only the 3rd country in Asia to offer this technology and today has grown to over 2000 employees in several large cities. Using VOIP as a stepping stone, Aslam then began exploring more broadly the use of PoE (Power over ethernet) in creating a DC building infrastructure. In 2019, Aslam successfully developed the Sinclair Marriott Autograph Hotel which is widely considered the most diverse PoE and DC Microgrid project in North America. From the completion of the Sinclair Hotel, Aslam created Sinclair Digital (SD) to bring expertise of the sustainability and cost benefits of a DC building infrastructure to the marketplace. Since its inception SD has been involved in several design build projects and continues to evolve DC infrastructure in buildings.

Charles Hume is an industry leader with over 20 years of experience leading technology initiatives within companies such as Southwire, Illinois Tool Works, and General Atomics. As the Director of Emerging Technologies at Southwire, Charles leads a corporate venture capital fund with a focus on digital power. Prior to his career at Southwire, Charles worked in diverse industries including solar energy, defense, and enterprise software. Charles holds 17 US and international patents, including the invention of a cable integrated solar inverter. Charles began his career as a naval officer and division director at the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School. He holds a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Gary Menzies is the CEO and founder of Trico Electric. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Trico Electric was established in 1986 and is licensed in 28 states. Gary has served the electrical industry for 42 years.

Trico serves many markets and building types including distribution facilities, commercial buildings and facilities for education, retail, hospitality, car dealerships and medical facilities.

Aside from typical electrical infrastructure, Trico Electric installed the first commercial scale LG Energy Storage System replacing a diesel generator at the Sinclair Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas and more recently the first new generation LG containerized Energy Storage System at LG Energy Storage headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Paul Stathis is the CEO of BICSI South Pacific, an industry association advocating best-practice in ICT infrastructure as the only way to reliably deliver digital services across many platforms.

Paul has been involved in the ICT infrastructure and building services industries for 35 years, in a variety of roles that include design and project management as a consulting engineer; sales, marketing, product development and management in cabling manufacturing firms and fire service providers; media management for electrical, communications & safety journals, and management of BICSI in the South Pacific.

For the past 12 years, Paul has led the collective ICT infrastructure industry in the South Pacific, by determining and delivering the values it requires to maintain its ‘voice’ on the raft of changing issues our industry incurs as more of our businesses and the community at-large adopt digital technologies.

Paul has spoken at numerous IT and communications conferences throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia, as well as having written many technical articles for the communications, electrical and industrial safety markets.

Paul holds an Engineering Degree in Electronics and a Graduate Diploma in Business.

As a classical violinist turned innovative composer, Kai Kight uses music as a metaphor to inspire individuals and organizations across the world to compose paths of imagination and fulfillment. Inspired by his own mother who, when diagnosed with cancer, revealed regrets of not bringing her ideas to the world. Kai is on a mission to spark a global mindset shift in which ingenuity is the norm, not the exception.

Kai’s unique background is one of both art and science. As a musician, Kai has performed his original music for thousands in venues across the world, from the White House to the Great Wall of China. As a product of Stanford University’s design and engineering program, the d. School, and the Behavior Design Lab, Kai studied how to help people create healthy and transformative habits in life. On stage, Kai fuses these experiences to create presentations that are not only designed to stir the soul, but spark concrete action.

Glenn “G2” Collinge began his career in the professional sound industry touring as a sound engineer in the late 70’s & left the road for a large Atlanta integrator. He started as an installer and worked his way to designing professional audio, broadcast video and A/V projects across the Southeastern US. In 2001 embarked in his role as a Regional Sales Manager position at FSR, an American manufacturer of audio visual, ICT and electrical infrastructure products. He has been very involved with the media ministries as a live technical director and engineer. He is currently on 2 committees with BISCI, has a current CTS and has held training classes the last 7 years nationwide. His previous responsibilities at FSR were assisting customers with systems designs sales & support. His current position, Strategic Relations Manager for FSR Inc, is to assist in product development, education as well as working key industry organizations.

Joe began his career in the mid-90s in general IT and programming before starting in AV as a residential programmer in the mid-2000s. He then joined Crestron Electronics as the Technical Manager in the Atlanta office. After completing his Master of Science degree in Management of Information Systems he took ownership of programming and design for a large US Army classroom project in the DC area. In 2016, the opportunity to return to Crestron as a Consultant Account Manager became available. With his background in secure government design and programming, Joe was a natural fit for the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2019, he achieved Platinum status as a Crestron Master Certified Programmer. Finally, in 2022, Crestron restructured their Consultant program promoting Joe to Director over the Eastern half of the country.

Mark has provided technology design support to countless projects across Canada and the United States during his 23-year career. With roles spanning live event production, broadcast engineering, post-secondary media services, and technology consulting, he has been with Crestron for 13 years and now manages communications with the consultant channel.

Chris has 19 years of Commercial Audio Video experience. His areas of expertise include Unified Communications, AV Networking, and AV Design, AV Programming, AV Installation, Pro Audio, and Project Management. Chris experience comes from commercial integration turned enterprise end-user in the Healthcare field. Now, Chris is working at Crestron as the Technical Director of the Southeast, Channel Sales. He holds Crestron Certifications, Teams Certifications, AXIXA Certifications, including multiple Audio DSP Certifications, among others. Playing, writing, producing, and engineering music is also a lifelong passion of mine.

Karl Rosenberg is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Application Specialist for Extron and has been in the audiovisual industry for 35 years. As a veteran presenter, Karl is responsible for conducting Extron training in the US and abroad and has taught at BICSI conferences in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Mark has 15 years of experience in the ICT industry, ranging from marketing to manufacturing. He is Biamp’s Business Development Manager, representing sound masking and voice communications solutions.

David Hessong is the manager of global data center market development for Corning. During his career with Corning, he has held positions in Engineering Services, Product Line Management, and Market Development.

Dave has published numerous industry articles and has contributed to several technical conference proceedings. He has taught classes and seminars on data centers and system design across North America.

Dave received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business.

Gary Bernstein is the Global Data Center Solutions Specialist at Siemon with more than 25 years of industry experience and extensive knowledge in data center infrastructure, telecommunications, and copper and fiber structured cabling systems. Gary has held positions in engineering, sales, product management, marketing and corporate management throughout his career. Gary has been a member of the TIA TR42.7 Copper Cabling Committee, TIA TR42.11 Optical Fiber Committee and various IEEE802.3 task forces and study groups including 40/100G “ba”, 50/100/200G “cd”, 200/400G “bs” Task Force and Beyond 400G. Gary has spoken on Data Center Cabling at several industry events including AFCOM, BICSI, Cisco Live, Datacenter Dynamics and has authored several articles in industry trade publications. Gary received a Bachelor of Sciences in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University, is an RCDD with BICSI and a Certified Data Center Designer (CDCD) with Datacenter Dynamics. Connect with Gary on LinkedIn.

Mike has 30+ years of experience with fiber optic cabling and is responsible for strategic data center account support and alliances at Leviton. He has received the Aegis Excellence Award from the U.S. Navy for his work on the Fiber Optic Cable Steering Committee and was a key member of the committee that developed the SMPTE 311M standard for a hybrid fiber optic HD camera cable. He currently participates in standardization activities for TIA and IEEE.

Imran leads the infrastructure and operations at the Scientific Computing Data Center facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a United States Department of Energy National laboratory located in Upton, New York, on Long Island, NY. He manages the team comprising of architects, engineers, world known physicists and computational scientists on major design and construction projects supporting cutting edge scientific research.

Prior to joining the lab, he spearheaded large scale energy conservation, MEP design and build projects in NYC for leading financial, retail and telecom organizations.

Imran holds a bachelor’s and master’s in Mechanical Engineering from CUNY and a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of New York and Texas. Also, he holds numerous professional certifications including, Certified Energy Manager, Project Management Professional, LEED Green Associate, Certified Data Center Energy Professional and Certified Data Center Design Professional.

Trevor began his career in the ICT world in 1986 as a storeman for a large Australian cable importer. From there he progressed into a sales and marketing role which over the following 20 years led him to the position of Director of Sales & Operations for KRONE Australia.

In 2005 he decided to focus more on the technical side of the ICT world and began the next 16 years completing many courses across all facets of the connectivity and cabling infrastructure world.

Trevor has been a BICSI member for 25 years and the recent past Chair of BICSI South Pacific board of directors. He holds the BICSI RCDD, DCDC, NTS and Technician credentials and is also a BICSI Certified Trainer.

Rod founded INFOmotion as a niche Technology Consulting firm to aid owners and other consulting engineers with the successful integration of technology infrastructure into new construction and retrofit projects. Project deliverables included conversion of project drawings and specifications in conformance with updated CSI MasterFormat divisions and ANSI standards, so that technology systems could be individually awarded / contracted under the General Contractor.

Rod is a 29-year BICSI member (since 1994) and holds numerous BICSI credentials: RCDD (1994), NTS (formerly LAN Specialist - 2000), and OSP Designer (2003). Rod also joined the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 2014 and earned his Project Management Professional credential that same year.

When it comes to time for fun, Rod has volunteered for several years at Boise, Idaho's Treefort Music Festival as a Venue Manager, is an avid skier and golfer, and co-hosts a weekly trivia game at one of the local watering holes. You might just get to enjoy how an unconventional trivia host will add some entertainment to his presentation on a potentially geeky subject.

Jim Walters is an Information Communication Technology Designer and Cyber Security Subject Matter Expert with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He was provided expertise on numerous billion-dollar projects including Civil Works, Healthcare and Milcon. Prior to joining the Corps, Jim led design and construction teams in the private sector for many years. Jim was the United States Army Corps of Engineers 2021 Control System Professional of the Year for 2021 and is a content developer for the forthcoming Control System Design for Civil Works and Telecommunications Prospect Courses. He is a content developer for UFC 03-580-01 and associated UFGS specifications sections utilized by DOD across the tri-services. Jim has years of experience reducing vulnerabilities in systems and serves as a SME for cybersecurity.

Ms. Callaway has over twenty-five years of extensive experience in designing a variety of information technology systems for many higher education campuses, the U.S. Military, emergency operation centers, data centers, broadcast and production systems and other high profile technology intensive facilities. Her expertise spans a variety of specialties including the design and integration of voice and data infrastructures, state of the art audio-visual systems, outside plant (OSP) infrastructures, CATV systems, and security systems. She also has experience in construction administration, project management, and technology quality control. For the last six years of her career, she has been involved on the construction side of the technology industry. She currently oversees a technology team that handles some of the largest installations in the Tampa Bay area.

Mike has more than 17 years of experience with Berk-Tek in the structured cabling industry and holds a B.S. in Physics with a Mathematics Minor from Millersville University. He holds more than 10 granted patents related to copper cables, MPO connectors, and other data communications devices. Prior to working in product management, Mike managed a team of engineers in a Research and Development lab focused on quantifying the real-world performance of structured cabling solutions.

Gene Conway’s career path has included positions in structured cabling installation, project management, sales, curriculum development and technical training. He has developed and presented over 250 programs on IT / Communications infrastructure throughout the United States and other countries.

Gene has presented programs for organizations including: electrical contractor associations, the IBEW, community colleges, BICSI and NECA He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has delivered educational webinars.

Gene is employed as Vice President of Sales for Tricomm Services Corporation, a regional IT infrastructure contractor. Gene holds a Bachelors degree from Temple University and is a BICSI Registered Communication Distribution Designer (RCDD).

Gene has spent the last three (3) years working almost exclusively on Sale of Business issues.

Richard leads AECOM's Technology Advisory practice for the Asia Pacific Region. A highly experienced Senior IT Management professional, Richard has a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems) with Honours from the University of Technology, Sydney and is a chartered Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Richard is a past Director and Chair of BICSI South Pacific and a long-time contributor to the Australian and New Zealand BICSI Conferences.

Richard has been involved with Standards Australia, developing ICT standards, including the World First Digital Hospitals design handbook HB 163:2017; and the revision to the Pathways and Spaces Standard, AS3084:2017.

As the Department Manager for the Technology Practice Group, Joe is in charge of guiding the design and business development efforts for the team. His area of expertise lies in the design, documentation, specification, and installation of telecommunications, security, audiovisual, and nursecall systems. His breadth of experience and knowledge has led him to present nationally on the integration of converged building systems and the Internet of Things (IoT) in designing today’s intelligent buildings. Joe’s project experience concentrates on the university, commercial office, high-rise, data center, healthcare, and transportation markets.

As a Senior Project Manager for the Technology Practice Group at Bala, Spencer has over 10 years of Technology design and project management experience, specializing in Healthcare and Life Sciences. His experience ranges from single room renovations to 1.5 million square foot state-of-the-art hospitals. Spencer’s focus is on consulting, as well as the design and documentation for telecommunications, security, and nurse call systems. His approach to design has established and maintained close relationships with clients and architects to maintain a high-level standard for all designs. Spencer has been a key team member on IPD projects and pursuits, as well as being well versed in FGI guidelines and healthcare design principles.

Harvey has worked in the Oil and Gas industry for more than 45 years. He started in the electrical field as a Journeyman electrician, and then went into electronics to repair field communication devices. Harvey specialized in Layer 1 design and implementation. From there he went into Oil and Gas networking and became certified in that area.

Harvey has been an RCDD since 1996.

Andrew Jimenez has over 30 years of experience in the fields of telecommunications testing and product certification. He has held various engineering and management positions with test laboratories specializing in the certification of network communications systems and components. Currently, his primary responsibilities include the management of the day-to-day operations of Wesco’s Infrastructure Solutions Lab and Innovation Centers, standards development and product research. Andrew is also a Cisco CCNA with Wireless Specialization. He has given numerous technical presentations at trade shows and symposiums and was the 2015 BICSI Harry J. Pfister Award recipient for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry.

David spent over 20 years as the Global Business Manager for Wire and Cable evolving W&C industry performance and sustainability standards.

David spent 11 years with the Du Pont Company in Manufacturing, Technical Service, Market/Product Development, and Sales of W&C materials.

David is a graduate of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

David is also active in other various trade organizations, including Underwriters Laboratories Technical Advisory Panels.

Jim Davis has been working in the cabling industry for over 25 years. With Fluke Networks for more than 20 years and most recently as a Senior Product Application Specialist. Prior to Fluke, Jim spent almost 10 years with Anixter.

Jim is the chair of TIA’s Fiber Optic Technology Consortium membership committee. He has participated and consulted to different standards committees as well as being a frequent presenter at trade shows and webinars.

Jim’s objective is to bring the experience of the industry, market and the lab to you and present it in way that the common user can understand.

Ronna Davis has been in the networking and telecommunication industry for 26 years. She has been with CommScope for over 17 years and has held positions in Strategy, Sales and Channel. She is currently on CommScope’s Strategy and Technology Team for Buildings and Campuses. Ronna co-chairs the TIA SPEC, Single Pair Ethernet Consortium. Prior to CommScope she worked in the design and construction of telecommunications networks for eight years and in wholesale distribution for two years. She is a LEED Green Associate and member of the Ethernet Alliance.

Todd has extensive experience in communications infrastructure design and specification. He holds an M.S. in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado and has designed and implemented communications infrastructure for a variety of clients nationwide. During his career he has managed marketing, product management, technical support and training departments for several structured cabling industry manufacturers.

Todd is the current Chair for the CCCA Communications Committee and is Senior Director of Product Management for Copper Cables with Leviton Network Solutions, a leading global manufacturer of end-to-end structured cabling systems.

Amir Sekhavat is the Senior Director of Product Management & Partnerships at Superior Essex Communications. Sekhavat has over twenty years of experience in the Information Communications and Technology industry, where he is a specialist in designing, testing, and developing communications cable products, and has published numerous articles on data cable performance and connectivity topics. Before joining the team at Superior Essex, Sekhavat worked as a Product Manager for Nexans in France, where he managed copper cable and connectivity products. Sekhavat received his MBA from the Solvay Brussels School and speaks five languages.

Jason Finnegan is the Product Manager for Copper Connectivity products at Legrand. He's been at Legrand for 12 years, holding various roles in Marketing and in the Product Technical area. He's been the Connectivity Product Manager for the past 5 Years, where he focuses on research and development, strategic marketing and thought leadership.

Jason received a Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing from Central Connecticut State University. He's spoken about the emerging digital building and edge infrastructure at industry events, including BICSI Trade Shows and other industry events, and published articles about the Internet of Things in Cabling Installation & Maintenance and Mission Critical magazine. Jason lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Paul has over 30 years of experience in the cable industry, developing and managing high performance premise cables and electronic components systems. He actively participates in the standardization working groups of IEEE, TIA and the NEC. He chaired the TIA TR-42.7 Telecommunications Copper Cabling Systems subcommittee during category 6a specifications development. Additionally, Paul’s experience includes technology assessment, lab and project management as well as product engineering. He is co-author of six patents related to the design of copper and optical cabling. As a Senior Staff Engineer, Paul works with the Ethernet Alliance to develop and maintain UL's Power over Ethernet Certification capabilities.

Mr. Anthony T. Tassone is a Principal Engineer with UL in the Engineered Materials Operating Unit. His areas of focus include telecommunications cable categories, as well as seasonal lighting, for the North American market.

Anthony has more than 38 years of safety certification and performance testing experience at UL, across a variety of categories and functions, including engineering, operations, and conformity assessment. Anthony is the primary member of NEC Code Panel 16, IEC TC 20 Working Group 18 and ANSI TIA 42. He has a BSEE from Polytechnic University and is a New York State professional engineer.