Datacenters and Cloud Leaders Call for Nominations for First Industry Inclusion and Sustainable IT Awards
SEATTLE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Leading Allies Of..., a movement that focuses on the importance of allyship in increasing diversity in the industry is hosting its very first Trailblazer Awards ceremony during the Leading Allies Of… Data Centers & The Cloud Virtual Summit on November 10th, 2021. The awards are to recognize those who are making a positive impact for diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainable IT, and nominations are being sought from across the globe.
"In this industry, we're building an information super-highway that connects people with technology…and each other. It's important that we do that with perspectives from as many backgrounds as possible to ensure the solutions we build today will benefit us all tomorrow. There are some people that have been deeply committed to inclusive and sustainable environments for quite some time and the Trailblazer Awards is our industry making the time to celebrate those individuals who are blazing the trail for tomorrow's connected world," says Shannon Hulbert, CEO of Opus Interactive. Opus is a woman and minority-owned cloud service provider that recently announced the launch of their climate positive IaaS solutions.
Nominations are for Cloud and Data Center industry professionals who have worked to support women in technology and increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. Efforts include use of a platform to generate awareness, initiatives for making technology workforces a more inclusive environment for people of different genders, races, sexual orientations, cultures, disabilities and backgrounds, and innovative efforts to increase opportunities for others in the space over the past 24 months. The awards categories are:
- Connectivity Trailblazer
- Data Center Trailblazer
- Cloud Trailblazer
- Edge Trailblazer
- Industry Ally Trailblazer
- Sustainable IT Trailblazer
Judges will assess candidates on innovation, impact, and potential impact to the industry, as well as demonstrations of being a positive role model, attracting (and retaining) a more diverse workforce, and generally making the industry a more inclusive environment. The Judging panel is comprised of industry leaders who joined forces to create Leading Allies Of… Data Centers & The Cloud, and includes Switch, Vantage Data Centers, STACK Infrastructure, Opus Interactive, Microsoft, Sandbox2Boardroom, Coinme, EdgeConnex, and Anuvu.
The awards ceremony takes place as part of the Virtual Summit, which is being supported by leaders from the highest levels across the industry. Attendees can also look forward to learning more about diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, best practices, allyship, different approaches for different environments, and success stories from:
- Brian Cox, CEO, STACK Infrastructure
- Kathryn Brett Goldman, CEO & Founder, Cybermaniacs
- Sureel Choksi, President & CEO, Vantage Data Centers
- Shannon Hulbert, CEO, Opus Interactive
- Heather Dooley, Global Director – Data Centers, Google
- Bill Kleyman, EVP, Digital Solutions, Switch
- Phil Lawson Shanks, CIO, Aligned
- Nancy Novak, CIO, Compass Data Centers
- Hazim Macky, VP Engineering, Coinme
- Leena Patel, Founder, SandboxtoBoardroom
- Beth Ciccone, Data Center Technician, Iron Mountain
- Phillip Marangella, CMO, EdgeConnex
- Roxy Stimpson, Interim VP Engineering, F5
- Heather Paduk, CFO, STACK Infrastructure
- Shalini Sharma, VP & General Counsel, Vantage Data Centers
- Dave Link, Founder & CEO, Science Logic
Nominations are being accepted through November 3. Submit your nominations today by visiting http://www.LeadingAlliesOf.com, select 'Trailblazer Awards' and complete the short nomination form.
About Leading Allies Of… Data Centers & The Cloud
Themed "De-Mystifying DE&I: Diversity In Our Digital Infrastructure," the half-day virtual event on November 10th will feature engaging discussions from global leaders of Fortune 500 companies, suppliers and startups that will help both individuals and companies step up their diversity efforts, primarily led through allyship.
The event seeks to lift some of the fog that surrounds DE&I, providing attendees with a toolkit to embrace it, while stepping up as proactive allies for women and underrepresented groups. It will address the different diversity roadmaps people can take, how diversity will drive innovation in the industry and examples of allyship that are making a real and lasting difference.
About Fiona McKay & Leading Ladies Of…
Fiona McKay is a recognized expert in courageous leadership. A highly sought-after executive coach, trainer and keynote speaker, McKay inspires and guides leaders to embrace bravery, boldness, and big change to create the workplaces and businesses they want, while making a difference for others.
McKay is also the founder of the Leading Ladies Of… and Leading Allies Of… movement, which focuses on breaking the glass ceilings that still exist for women and under-represented groups through connection, collaboration, and career-catalyzing skills. The movement is aimed at connecting people who want to challenge the status quo, advocate for all workplace diversity and be a role model for others.
For more information on Fiona McKay, visit http://www.MckayUnlimited.com
About Shannon Hulbert & Opus Interactive…
Founded in 1996, Opus Interactive has earned a reputation for delivering tailored hybrid and multi-cloud solutions for organizations with high-performance and high-compliance workload requirements. Understanding that every organization is different, each solution is architected to the unique security, performance, cost, and interoperability needs of every customer.
Opus' team builds right-sized Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Solutions, IaaS & OpusCloud, Enterprise Colocation, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Object Storage, VDI, and Monitoring and Management Services — compliant with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP Moderate Ready, and SSAE 18 SOC 2 — backed by SLAs. Tailored solutions are delivered from Tier III+ data centers located in high connectivity markets (Hillsboro, Portland, Dallas, and Northern Virginia). Each facility partner is carefully selected for security, geographic redundancy, and efficiency to ensure end-to-end reliability and performance.
Opus Interactive is a woman and minority-owned enterprise with a commitment to accelerating the adoption of sustainable IT. With past performance that includes more than 25 years of proven results, our end goal is optimized solutions that enable our customers to do great work. Technology, meet Humanity.
For more information on Opus Interactive, visit h https://www.opusinteractive.com/
Media Contact
Fiona McKay, McKay Unlimited, +1 (206) 379-3069, [email protected]
Shannon Hulbert, Opus Interactive, [email protected]
SOURCE Leading Allies Of
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