As the founder and the Chief Executive Officer of MAQ Software, Rajeev Agarwal focuses on adopting the latest software engineering techniques to utilize emerging technology platforms. Rajeev was a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. He has grown MAQ Software to more than 500 engineers worldwide. Inc., a leading U.S. business magazine for mid-market companies, inducted MAQ Software into its ‘Hall of Fame.’ MAQ Software has been listed as one of the fastest growing companies in America nine times – a rare achievement.

Publications:

• What I Did Not Learn in B-School (2017)

Website: mbabook.in

Paul Allen is an American business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding Microsoft alongside Bill Gates. Allen is the founder and Chairman of Vulcan Inc., which manages his various business and philanthropic efforts. Allen also has a multibillion-dollar investment portfolio including technology and media companies, real estate holdings, and stakes in other companies. He owns two professional sports teams: the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. He is also part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC. He is also founder of Allen Institute for Brain Science, Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Institute for Cell Science, and Vulcan Aerospace.

Publications:

• Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft (2012)

Website: paulallen.com

Jovina Ang is an expert in communication, women and leadership, and change management. A global speaker and author, this is her second book. Previously, Jovina was a corporate executive with more than 20 years' experience working for Fortune 500 companies. She has worked with market-leading multinationals, including Microsoft, Dell and Cisco Systems, and received multiple awards, including the Women Leadership Award from CMO Asia and the Strategic Communication Management (SCM) award for Leader of the Year from Melcrum. She has also taught at multiple universities including National University of Singapore. She holds a Ph.D. from Singapore Management University.

Publications:

• The Game Plan of Successful Career Sponsorship (2019)
• Leadership Communication. Connect. Engage. Inspire. (2018)
  

At Microsoft, Hemda Arad worked on the first in-house Hebrew product between 1989-1992 with the International Product Group.

Hemda Arad, Ph.D. is a Seattle-based psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. Over the past 20 years, she has practiced in both public and private settings, working with adults, couples, families, and groups, helping them to overcome the emotional challenges of life. Dr. Arad’s familiarity with the high tech world lends itself to understanding the unique challenges people in technology encounter. In her work, she combines verbal and non-verbal approaches including psychodynamic modalities, such as Relational Psychoanalysis and more embodied methods such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). 

Dr. Arad is also a consultant to professionals and therapists in training, and is a published author. She teaches and presents to professionals locally, nationally, and internationally.”

Publications:

• Integrating Relational Psychoanalysis and EMDR: Embodied Experience and Clinical Practice (2017)

Website: hemdaarad.com

Deb Arbeeny's passion for helping others realize their best life drew her to become a holistic, integrative wellness and life coach. Deb truly believes that our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual systems are all interconnected and her integrative approach helps her clients see their ‘full picture’ and design a plan to restore balance in their lives, while achieving their goals. Certified Integrative Wellness and Life Coach, Integrative Wellness Academy and Therapeutic Art Life Coach.

Targeting this audience, Deb wrote Destiny Do-Over, a personal playbook for helping women (or anyone really) get back in the driver’s seat of their own life. The process is based on ACT (Acknowledge, Commit, Transform) program and provides easy-to-follow action steps for regaining control of your destiny.

Publications:

• Destiny Do-Over (2019)

Website: joyfuljourneycoaching.com

Robbie Bach joined Microsoft in 1988 and over the next 22 years worked in various marketing, general management and business leadership roles. Beginning in 1999, as Chief Xbox Officer, he led the creation and development of the highly successful Xbox video game business. Now in his new role as a “Civic Engineer,” Robbie believes we all have a responsibility to engage on civic issues and dedicates his time and energy to providing strategies, creative ideas, and consulting to organizations who are driving positive change in our communities. He speaks to corporate, academic and civic groups across the country and in 2015 completed his first book, Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal.

His newest book, The Wilkes Insurrection, is Robbie's first contemporary thriller of anarchic obsession and heroic ambition. It's the perfect blend of callous villains, complex but captivating protagonists, and political intrigue will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Publications:

• The Wilkes Insurrection (2021)
• Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal (2015)

Website: robbiebach.com

Akhtar was Senior Director of Citizenship and Public Affairs for Microsoft, where he led its global philanthropic efforts, global community investment and employee programs. Akhtar also managed Microsoft YouthSpark and the Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP).

Prior to joining Microsoft, Akhtar was the CEO and President of Digital Partners Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to leverage the digital economy to benefit the poor. An active advocate for the global community, Akhtar now serves as a board member of Telecentre.org, Council on Foundations, Youth Employment Summit Inc., and the US Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center.

Publications:

• Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires Employees & Alumni to Change the World (2020) 
• Technology at the Margins: How IT Meets the Needs of Emerging Markets (2010) by Sailesh Chutani, Jessica Rothenberg Aalamin, Akhtar Badshah 
• Our Urban Future: New Paradigms for Equity and Sustainability (1996)

Alumnus Peter Bako spent his tenure at Microsoft testing software, now he wants to help you program your own computer. He’s written “Introduction to Programming Using C#” to teach you how without making you doze off from the dry tone of most text books. Read our profile on Peter here.

Publications:

• Introduction to Programming Using C# (2014)

Website: bakobooks.com

The world is changing, and so should your leadership. Author Shannon Banks is managing director of Be Leadership and an award-winning facilitator, consultant, and coach. She is a pioneer in the field of social leadership. She is dedicated to supporting organizations on their path to positive impact and to helping leaders find purpose in their work and lives.

In “Because: Twelve Essential Skills for Connecting How You Lead with Why,” Shannon introduces a social leadership model with 12 key skills to revolutionize how and why you lead. Throughout the book, calls to action and interactive assignments help you practice needed behaviors and define your leadership brand, ensuring you leave with new insights on how to be influential both in your work and your broader life.

Publications:

• Because: 12 Essential Skills for Connecting How You Lead with Why (2023)

Website: https://shannonbanksauthor.com/

An industry insider explains why there is so much bad software—and why academia doesn't teach programmers what industry wants them to know. Why is software so prone to bugs? So vulnerable to viruses? Why are software products so often delayed, or even canceled? Is software development really hard, or are software developers just not that good at it? In The Problem with Software, Adam Barr examines the proliferation of bad software, explains what causes it, and offers some suggestions on how to improve the situation.

Adam Barr worked as a programmer and manager at Microsoft for more than twenty years.

Publications:

• The Problem with Software: Why Smart Engineers Write Bad Code (2018)

Website: mitpress.mit.edu/books/problem-software

Life’s path is rarely a straight line. Raising your hand and taking risks and making unexpected choices can help you achieve a fulfilling career and an exciting life. Microsoft alumna Rebekah Bastian did just that on her own journey that led her to become Zillow’s vice president of community and culture. Now she’s written her first book — “Blaze Your Own Trail: An Interactive Guide to Navigating Life with Confidence, Solidarity and Compassion” — to give women tools they need to blaze their own trail. 

Publications:

• Blaze Your Own Trail: An Interactive Guide to Navigating Life with Confidence,Solidarity, and Compassion (2020)

Website: owntrail.com

Andrew Becraft is the Editor-in-Chief of The Brothers Brick, the world's #1 LEGO fan website. He's been active in the LEGO fan community since the release of LEGO Star Wars in 1999, and regularly attends LEGO fan conventions such as BrickCon. By day, Andrew runs software planning and design teams for technology companies. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two dogs -- a pug named Oliver Twist and a miniature dachshund named Linus.

"The definitive guide to the LEGO® Star Wars™ universe, showcasing the vast collection of LEGO Star Wars sets and minifigures released over the last 20 years.

This is a complete, unrivaled encyclopedia of the LEGO Star Wars theme. Fans will have an all-encompassing companion to the LEGO Star Wars cultural phenomenon. Produced in large format and featuring beautiful imagery, this is an indispensable guide for young fans and a stunning reference work for adults. With behind-the-scenes material, it tells the complete story of LEGO Star Wars, from the earliest concepts in the late 1990s to the creation of the most recent sets for The Force Awakens™ and Rogue One™. Created with the LEGO Star Wars team."

Publications:

• Ultimate LEGO Star Wars (2017)

Website: brothers-brick.com

Scott Berkun is the best selling author of six books, including Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker and The Year Without Pants. His work has appeared in the The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, The Economist, Forbes Magazine, and other media. He has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington and has been a regular commentator on CNBC, MSNBC and National Public Radio. 

Publications:

• The Dance of the Possible (2017)
• The Ghost of My Father (2014)
• The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & The Future of Work (2013)
• Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds (2011)
• Confessions of a Public Speaker (2009)
• Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management (Theory in Practice) (2008)
• The Myths of Innovation (2007)
• The Art of Project Management (2005)

Website: scottberkun.com

Vittorio Bertocci is a Principal Program Manager in the Microsoft Identity division, working on developer experience technologies such as SDKs (ADAL, MSAL, OpenID Connect and OAuth middleware) and integration of identity features in dev technologies such as VS and ASP.NET.
In his past role as Architect Evangelist at Microsoft, he spent several years helping major enterprises build advanced identity solutions based on new Microsoft technologies. A published author, he frequently speaks at international events such as TechEd, PDC, Build, Cloud identity Summit, Ignite and many more. He blogs on identity topics at www.cloudidentity.com and tweets as @vibronet. 

Vittorio lives in the lush green of Redmond with his wife, Iwona. He doesn’t mind the gray skies too much, but every time he has half a chance, he flies to some place on the beach, be it the South Pacific or Camogli, his home town in Italy.

Publications:

• Modern Authentication with Azure Active Directory for Web Applications (2016)
• A guide to Claims-Based Identity and Access Control (2010) by Dominik Baier and Vittorio Bertocci 
• Programming Windows Identity Foundation (2010)
• Understanding Windows CardSpace: An Introduction to the Concepts and Challenges of Digital Identities (2008) by Vittorio Bertocci and Garrett Serack

Website: cloudidentity.com

Michael Brawn was born in a London slum in 1958. His father was a wartime spy, at times working in the military sphere, and at times in the political. His mother was an Irish aristocrat born and brought up in one of the castles of the Dublin Pale. He comes from a long line of published authors, including his late radical feminist sister Anna Livia, going all the way back to Jane Porter's `The Scottish Chiefs' of 1809. As a child he experienced the collapse of the British Empire first hand. His father's involvement in Zambian independence exposing him at a tender age to African politics. Mass political rallies in the back garden becoming his new normal. Later in Swaziland he welcomed the Swazi King to his county's independence day celebration. Teenage years were wasted in London's New Wave of the 70s. As an adult Michael worked as a consultant for Microsoft for many years despite, as he says `never being all that technical. Author of the delightful and magical children's picture book `Pangur Ban First cat, first kitten since time began, his first full length novel `Flaming Margarita the story of Patterson Curse' is a fictional account of a life fully lived.

Publications:

• TENSE (2019)
• The Wollemi (2019)
  
• Pangur Ban: First kitten, first cat since time began (2018)
  
• Flaming Margerita (2017)

Daniel James Brown grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Diablo Valley College, the University of California at Berkeley, and UCLA. He taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford before becoming a technical writer and editor. He now writes narrative nonfiction books full time. His primary interest as a writer is in bringing compelling historical events to life vividly and accurately.

He and his wife live in the country outside of Seattle, Washington, with an assortment of cats, dogs, chickens, and honeybees. When he isn't writing, he is likely to be birding, gardening, fly fishing, reading American history, or chasing bears away from the beehives.

Publications:

• Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II (2021)
• Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (2016)
• The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party (2015)
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (2014)

Website: danieljamesbrown.com

Kurt Gray's an ordinary work-a-day schlub, junior copywriter, completely unremarkable in every way except he was kidnapped to be a human sacrifice, accidentally fell through a portal into Hell, and is traveling through the afterlife with a vampire. Alain was made a vampire in WWII as part of a military experiment. He's physically entered Hell to journey through all the planes of the afterlife, reach Heaven, and plead his case before God... to be reunited with the woman he loves. Only one problem: he's got two mortals he didn't expect along for the journey and Hell knows they're coming.

Greg Bulmash started as a humor blogger before the word "blog" was coined. From that came an urban legend (Google him) and a job as the Senior Editor at IMDb.com. He's gone on to work as a technical writer for AWS and Microsoft, a developer educator for Amazon Alexa, and founder of the Seattle chapter of CoderDojo, where he organized over 150 free STEAM education events for Seattle area kids. He has spoken or emceed at technical conferences on 3 continents, has professionally hosted karaoke at bars in Los Angeles and Seattle, and was a winning bachelor on The All New Dating Game, where his prize was a trip to Florida with a student nurse. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, teen sons, and a dog named Tulip.

Publications:

• Hell on $5 a Day (2021)

Website: amazon.com

J. Eduardo is a seasoned strategist who designs sustainable solutions by building bridges across diverse groups. After creating business growth opportunities on four continents through his leadership roles at PwC, Embraer, and Bell Canada, he spent thirteen years at Microsoft, first as a cybersecurity advisor, then leading innovative Microsoft projects at the highest levels of government in the US and abroad.

Today, J. Eduardo is realizing his dream of building a better tomorrow by leading his consulting firm, Embedded Knowledge, Inc., to develop value propositions, customize business strategies, and form partnerships that enable organizations and entrepreneurs to design creative solutions for their complex problems.

Publications:

• From Problem Solving to Solution Design: Turning Ideas into Actions (2018) by J. Eduardo Campos and Erica W. Campos

Website: eecampos.com

For well over fifteen years, Mel has been inspiring businesses around the world to understand and make the most of the explosion in use of digital media and technology.

After 7 years at Microsoft as their Digital Evangelist, Mel left in the summer of 2012 to start Seattle-based consultancy – Delightful Communications – which helps businesses and individuals successfully apply marketing strategies that focus on Social Media, Digital PR and Personal Branding.

Publications:

• Introduction to Personal Branding: ten Steps Toward a New Professional You (2016)
• Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media (2012) by Paul Springer and Mel Carson

Website: melcarson.com

Science fiction was what first introduced me to computers 40 years ago (most of what we take for granted now would have been dismissed as fanciful then!) and despite working in creative fields for a lot of my career it has always been on the technology side. Finally my daughter convinced me to finish a story I'd written the opening for at college but not touched since...

Publications:

• Tuesday Tales: Falling (2016)

Brad Chase began his Microsoft tenure in 1987, where his award-winning marketing campaign promoting Windows 95 broke numerous records and his efforts as MSN.com's leader prompted a turnaround of the site's success. Chase ended his tenure at Microsoft in 2002 and since then has served as an advisor and/or board member to many companies, such as GE, Brooks, Expedia, and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

In Strategy First, Brad Chase, the mind behind some of Microsoft's largest and most successful initiatives, explains why building robust strategies is the imperative to business success. Chase leads readers through his easy-to-use strategy model, Strategy = E x mc2, which teaches readers the art of strategy--how to build and execute winning strategies relative to the competition. To supplement the model, Chase provides 5 key tips to strategy prosperity and over 50 examples from a broad range of businesses that help the reader think about how they can use his Strategy First toolkit.

Publications:

• Strategy First: How Businesses Win Big (2020)

Website: bradchase.net

Justina Chen has always been a storyteller. During her two tours of duty at Microsoft, she crafted corporate stories. As an alumna, she teaches corporate leaders how to shape their stories and articulate their visions. And, within the covers of her fiction and nonfiction books, she continues to tell stories that inspire and win awards. We caught up with her as her latest young adult novel, “Lovely, Dark, and Deep” hits shelves. Read our profile on Justina here.

Publications:

• Lovely, Dark and Deep (2018) 
• The Art of Inspiration: Lead your Best Story (2016) 
• Return to Me (2014)
• A Blind Spot for Boys (2014)
• What Now: Survival Guide for the Blindsided and Brokenhearted (2013)
• North of Beautiful (2010) 
• Girl Overboard (2008)
• The Patch (2007) 
• Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (2007)

Website: justinachen.com

Kevin Cherry’s great great-grandfather fought for political and civil rights at the height of Reconstruction in post-Civil War America. But until recently, his story was buried like that of many African American men and women before him. The Microsoft alumnus dug into his family’s history and published the fascinating story of his ancestor with “Virtue of Cain: From Slave to Senator the Biography of Lawrence Cain.” We caught up with Kevin to talk about the “Virtue of Cain,” what he hopes will come from sharing his ancestor’s story, and his work to see African Americans honored for their efforts during the U.S. Reconstruction.

Publications:

• Virtue of Cain: From Slave to Senator- Biography of Lawrence Cain (2019)

Website: virtueofcain.com

Eric Chou is a seasoned technologist with over 19 years' experience. He has managed some of the largest networks in the industry while working at Amazon and Microsoft and is passionate about network automation and Python at heart. 
In Mastering Python Networking, fourth edition, you'll embark on a Python-based journey to transition from a traditional network engineer to a network developer ready for the next generation of networks.

This new edition is completely revised and updated to work with the latest Python features and DevOps frameworks. In addition to new chapters on introducing Docker containers and Python 3 Async IO for network engineers, each chapter is updated with the latest libraries with working examples to ensure compatibility and understanding of the concepts.

Starting with a basic overview of Python, the book teaches you how it can interact with both legacy and API-enabled network devices. You will learn to leverage high-level Python packages and frameworks to perform network automation tasks, monitoring, management, and enhanced network security, followed by AWS and Azure cloud networking. You will use Git for code management, GitLab for continuous integration, and Python-based testing tools to verify your network.

Publications:

• Mastering Python Networking 4th Edition (2023)

Website: amazon.com

A graduate of the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business with twenty years in sales positions with companies ranging from technology start-ups to Fortune 100. Rick’s interest in poker led him to observe, research, and document how winning poker and sales professionals use many of the same skills on the path to success.

Publications:

• ACE Selling: Increase Sales Performance Using Advanced Poker Strategies (2014)

Michael D. Cohen, Ph.D. is CEO of Cohen Research Group, a political, public affairs, and corporate research firm. He publishes the award-winning Congress in Your Pocket suite of mobile apps and teaches college courses on political campaigns, digital strategy, and public policy in Washington, DC. He began his career leading political campaigns in Florida and then joined The Gallup Organization, where he served as Senior Research Director. Other career highlights include serving as Vice President of Public Affairs for Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, Polling Team Lead for Microsoft, and Chief Strategy Officer for WPA Intelligence. Dr. Cohen serves as an adjunct professor for the Johns Hopkins University graduate communications program. Previously, he served as assistant professor and the interim director of the political management program at The George Washington University and an adjunct professor for the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy and the University of California’s undergraduate DC program.

Modern Political Campaigns brings together academic, practical, and interviews to help understand how professionalism, technology, and speed have revolutionized elections, creating more voter-centric races for public office.

Publications:

• Modern Political Campaigns: How Professionalism, Technology, and Speed Have Revolutionized Elections (2021)

Website: modernpoliticalcampaigns.com

The information age has engendered boundless business possibilities in the digital space as organizations big and small race to connect with customers across the globe.

Their No. 1 aim: to build trust and attract buy-in through creative and intelligent digital customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives. A good deal of literature has been written on digital CRM, however, arguably none has been penned through the lens of Asian perspectives.

In Digital CRM, Danny Condecido methodically unfolds what is needed to build long-term relationship via CRM with consumers in Asia and beyond. Considered by many as a leading Asian CRM expert, readers will be guided to the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and technologies in CRM.

Comprehensively and authoritatively articulated, this easy-to-read book is geared not only towards corporate executives with mega-investments in CRM but also businessmen running successful local companies and bootstrapping start-ups. Digital CRM aims to inspire and direct readers to embark on the delightful path of creating long-lasting recipe of actionable strategies for marketing, sales, and service to ultimately win today’s digitally savvy customers.

Publications:

• Digital CRM | Customer Relationship Management: Winning in the Age of Savvy Customers (2019)

Website: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45042897-digital-crm-customer-relationship-management

Whitney Cubbison is a dual American and French citizen living in Paris since 2009. She left Microsoft after 16 years in corporate communications to focus on completing her first novel. "Will There Be Wine” features Austen Keller, who was living her dream until she wasn’t. She landed a career-defining job, which moved her and her husband to Paris. Shortly thereafter, she was divorced, pushing 40 and starting over.

Publications:

• Will there be Wine? (2003)

Website: amazon.com

In this fascinating autobiography, Dawnmarie Deshaies gives you an in-depth look at her life from childhood to the present day. This book entails her life experiences, from tragedy and heartbreak to uplifting highs and celebrations. Since her diagnosis in 2012, with the auto-immune disease known as Multiple Sclerosis, Dawnmarie has continued to make it her life’s mission to spread awareness on this all to Phantom-esque disease. Every day, Dawnmarie lives to fight for all who have been afflicted by the terrible disease. Dawnmarie and the whole staff attached to the publication of this memoir hope to enlighten you with her firsthand experiences and knowledge.

Publications:

• Living with PhantoMS (2019) 

Bill Dow is a recognized expert in project management by the Project Management Institute (PMI) for specifically developing and managing Project Management Offices (PMOs). Bill worked at Microsoft for more than 14 years running eight Project Management offices. Bill has moved on from Microsoft now and is the director of the PMO at the University of Washington in the Seattle area.

Publications:

• PMO Service Offerings - How do I select the right services for my PMO? (2021)
• The PMO Lifecycle: Building, Running, and Shutting Down (2018)
• Project Management Communication Tools (2015)

Website: amazon.com

David Doyle is a public interest technologist, with experience in both the public and private sectors. David served as the City of Seattle's Open Data Manager and worked at Microsoft where he led quality engineering teams focused on delivering Windows in over 100 languages, and a data analytics team that created insights used to improve the experience of millions of Windows users worldwide. 

In "Ask What You Can Do", you have an inside account of what it is like to move from the tech sector to the public sector. The book also explains why state and local government are so important, the kinds of challenges and opportunities within local government that require more technologists to address, how to go about making the leap into local government, and how to have impact while youíre there. Building on the inspirational words of President John F Kennedy, this book challenges readers to think about what they can do to help build the next generation of state and local government.

Publications:

• Ask What You Can Do: Why local government needs more technologists and how you too can serve (2020)

Website: askwhatyoucando.com

Jim DuBois is the former CIO of Microsoft and a highly sought speaker and advisor to the world's largest companies.

Publications:

• Six-Word Lessons to Think Like a Modern-Day CIO: 100 Lessons CIOs and Tech Leaders Must Embrace to Drive Business Velocity (2017)

Website: 6wordlessons.com

Deborah Dugan recently retired following a lengthy career in the legal field covering intellectual property in the tech industry. She’s also the author of The Traveler series.

Humans ask, how does time bind us, but The Traveler asks: how shall time be unbound?

Humans ask, what is reality, but the Traveler asks: what is reality within the fluctuating energy of time and space?

In Book 3 of The Traveler series, Harry’s experiences take him from Tristan’s flower bed to a soul-shaking revelation that puts him on the cusp of regaining full awareness of his power. This next evolutionary step may change his place in this reality forever.

Publications:

• The Traveler, Book 3 (2023)
• The Traveler, Book 2 (2022)
• The Traveler (2021)

Website: deborahdugan.com

This book offers insights and counter narratives that challenge mainstream discussions of social innovation and STEM education in the United States. Based on how influential members of the extended Technology Access Foundation (TAF) community value and discuss their work as STEM educators and social innovators. This book explores members’ experiences and ideas through lenses such as Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Theory, sociotechnical theories, and Critical Pedagogy.

Publications:

• This is the Work: Insights for Social Innovation and STEM Education: Real Stories and lessons from the Technology Access Foundation (2018) by Zithri Ahmed Saleem and Trish Millines Dziko

Brad Eck was a long-time software engineer / UX designer who moved into engineering management and partner engagement in various industries. He worked at Microsoft from 1990-1993. Expanding his career toward people leadership in 2017, he completed an Executive MBA program. In parallel, he and his wife pursued their long-time dream by purchasing a bed and breakfast in 2019 in Southeast Pennsylvania. He continues to work full time as an eco-system manager in the physical security industry all the while pursuing his dream of investing in others through the venue of their B&B. Brad and his wife raised three children, one of which was diagnosed with high functioning autism. From the beginning we committed to mainstreaming Daniel by giving him access to all the typical things in life instead of yielding to his special needs.

Publications:

• Specialisms: Autism Perspectives: Musings from the Family of an Autistic Kid (2021)

Website: authorbradeck.com

Richard Edwards in a developer and programmer. He has written hundred of books related to programming in addition to his books about Vietnam.

Publications:

• Once in Nam, Always in Nam (2018)
• C++.Net and Odbc: Working with the Dataview (2018)
• WSH VBScript and WbemScripting: Working with ExecQuery (2018
• Python Code Warrior-Working with WMI (2018)
• SCOM Tools Source Code: Using VB.Net to create them (2018)
• And many more... 

Jae Ellard is the founder of Simple Intentions and author of the Mindful Life book series.

Publications:

• Stop & Listen: Practicing Presence (2014)
• The Five Truths about Work-life Balance (2014)
• Beyond Tips & Tricks: Mindful Management (2014)
• Stop & See: Developing Intentional Habits (2013)
• Success with Stress (2011)
• The Pocket Coach: Perspective When You Need Some (2011)
• Spun Up: Success with Stress (2010)
• Stop & Think: 25 Tips for Better Work Life Balance (2010)
• Stop & Think: Creating New Awareness (The Mindful Life Collection) (2008)

Website: simpleintentions.com

Jerry Fishenden has over 25 years’ experience of technology leadership, most recently as interim deputy Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the UK government. He provides independent guidance and expertise to various organisations, from start-ups to big business, and is a frequent keynote speaker and writer on technology. Jerry has previously been CTO for Microsoft UK, the City of London financial regulator, the UK Parliament and the National Health Service. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Bath Spa University and a former Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. The former Senior Policy Advisor to the UK Prime Minister credits Jerry as a key influence on the current government programme of technology modernisation and reform.

Publications:

• Fracture: The collision between technology and democracy and how we fix it (2023)
• Tales of the Riverbank (2021)
• Digitizing Government: Understanding and implementing new digital business models (2014) by Jerry Fishenden, Alan Brown, and Mark Thompson

Website: ntouk.wordpress.com

Kathleen Flinn is best known as the author of the New York Times bestseller "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry," a memoir with recipes about leaving her corporate life to study at the venerable Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and falling in love along the way. Her acclaimed follow-up, "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices Into Fearless Home Cooks" was named a 2012 Book of the Year by the American Society of Journalists & Authors. 

Her latest book, "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good," is a multi-generational culinary memoir that tracks the trials of her Midwest family. That title was named a 2015 Michigan Notable Book, and a finalist in the IACP Cookbook Awards, Goodreads Choice Awards and the Pacific Northwest Book Awards, among others. 

Flinn and her books have been featured in dozens of media outlets, including People, Elle, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, CBS This Morning and Bon Appetit. She is at work on two books, one fiction and one-fiction, and teaches both cooking and food writing around the country. She serves on the board of trustees for The Culinary Trust, a national 5013C non-profit co-founded by Julia Child. 

She and her husband, Mike, divide their time between Seattle and Anna Maria Island, Fla., their trusty rescue dog, Maddy, in tow.

Publications:

•  Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir with Recipes from an American Family (2015)
• The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks (2012)
  
• The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World's Most Famous Cooking School (2008)

Website: cookfearless.com

Sean Flynn worked for decades as a software engineer. His employers ranged from Apple to Microsoft. He was a bright-eyed homesteader on the frontier of digital multimedia and is a veteran of the Browser Wars. He unplugged from corporate service and now tells thrilling stories set in the technological world he helped create. He is blogging about the journey of its creation at slflynn.com.

Publications:

•  Raether's Enzyme (2020)

Website: slflynn.com

As programmers, we’ve all seen source code that’s so ugly and buggy it makes our brain ache. Over the past five years, authors Dustin Boswell and Trevor Foucher have analyzed hundreds of examples of bad code (much of it their own) to determine why they’re bad and how they could be improved. Their conclusion? You need to write code that minimizes the time it would take someone else to understand it—even if that someone else is you. This book focuses on basic principles and practical techniques you can apply every time you write code. Using easy-to-digest code examples from different languages, each chapter dives into a different aspect of coding, and demonstrates how you can make your code easy to understand. Being aware of how the code you create affects those who look at it later is an important part of developing software. The authors did a great job in taking you through the different aspects of this challenge, explaining the details with instructive examples.

Publications:

• The Art of Readable Code: Simple and Practical Techniques for Writing Better Code (2011)
  

In Christopher Frank’s book, “Decisions Over Decimals: Striking a Balance Between Intuition and Information,” the Microsoft alum provides a hands-on manual to help make intelligent business decisions using both your gut and the deluge of data at your fingertips. The New Jersey resident said his “passion for teaching and coaching” led him to write the book. We caught up with Christopher to talk more about the book and how his time at Microsoft helped inform his theories.

Publications:

• Decisions Over Decimals: Striking the Balance between Intuition and Information (2022)

Website: dodthebook.com

Robert Gaskins invented PowerPoint. He led its initial design and development at a startup, where the idea attracted the first venture capital investment ever made by Apple Computer. PowerPoint was released for Macintosh in 1987, and soon afterward, it became the first significant acquisition ever made by Microsoft, who set up a new business unit in Silicon Valley to develop it further. Gaskins headed this new Microsoft unit for another five years, completing versions of the PowerPoint product which contributed to the explosive early growth of Microsoft Windows and to the dominance of Microsoft Office.

Publications:

• Sweating Bullets: Notes about Inventing PowerPoint (2012)
  

Website: robertgaskins.com

Bill Gates is a technologist, business leader, and philanthropist. He grew up in Seattle, Washington, with an amazing and supportive family who encouraged his interest in computers at an early age. He dropped out of college to start Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. He married Melinda French in 1994 and they have three children. Today, Bill and Melinda Gates co-chair the charitable foundation bearing their names and are working together to give their wealth back to society.

Publications:

• Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy (1999) by Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway
• The Road Ahead (1995)

Website: gatesnotes.com

Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. As the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda sets the direction and priorities of the world's largest philanthropy. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States.

Publications:

• The Moment of Lift (2019)

Mo Gawdat is a remarkable thinker and the Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X], an elite team of engineers that comprise Google’s futuristic “dream factory.” Applying his superior skills of logic and problem solving to the issue of happiness, he proposes an algorithm based on an understanding of how the brain takes in and processes joy and sadness. Then he solves for happy.

Publications:

• Solve for Happy (2017)

Website: www.solveforhappy.com

Melinda George, who now lives in Boise, Idaho, started at Microsoft in 2010 and assisted with the retail store launches in North America and China. She also was involved with product launches from the Windows Phone to Hololens. Before leaving the company last year, she also had worked in corporate HR, was a senior business program manager and even led the global external staff policy launch in more than 120 countries. Melinda met fellow Microsoft alumna Whitney Niesz in 2012. A passion about their pooches has led to a website called Sketch and Paws and, now, a children’s picture book called “Dog Breed ABC’s,” illustrated by Whitney and written by Melinda.

Publications:

• Dog Breed ABC's (2020) by Melinda George and Whitney Niesz 

Website: sketchandpaws.com

Dr. Andrew Glassner is a writer-director, and a consultant in storytelling, interactive fiction, and computer graphics. He started working in 3D computer graphics in 1978, and has carried out research at the NYIT Computer Graphics Lab, Case Western Reserve University, the IBM TJ Watson Research Lab, the Delft University of Technology, Bell Communications Research, Xerox PARC, and Microsoft Research. The New York Times wrote, “Andrew Glassner [is one] of the most respected talents in the world of computer graphics research.” Read our profile on Andrew here.

Publications:

• Deep Learning: A Visual Approach (2021)
• Deep Learning, Vol. 1: From Basics to Practice (2018)
• Deep Learning, Vol 2: From Basics to Practice (2018)
• Home Security: A Novel (2015)
• Freaks of Nurture: A Novel (2015)
• Bait: A Novel (2015)
• Principles of Digital Image Synthesis (2014)
• Graphic Gems (2013)
• Interactive Storytelling (2004)
• Andrew Glasser's Other Notebook (1996)
• Andrew Glasser's Notebook (1996)
• 3D Computer Graphics (1994)
• Ray Tracing (1989)
• Computer Graphics User's Guide (1984)

Website: glassner.com

In April 2020, when a mysterious disease engulfed the world, India came under “lockdown” along with most other countries. When social distancing became a norm, leisure travel became a far-fetched dream.

Stuck home indefinitely, the wanderer in Sinjana Gosh wondered “what if some remote corners of the country started telling their own stories to travelers through picture-postcards?” And that became the premise of this book.

The former Microsoft technical program manager for Bing Ads says it is “neither a travel guide nor a travelogue.” Rather, it is an unconventional anthology of stories from obscure parts of the country that will help you know India a little better and convince you to explore off-the-beaten-path.

Publications:

• Postcards from India (2020)

Website: https://www.backpacknxplore.com/i-wrote-a-book

Building a B2B technology (business to business) company is a very difficult and risk-prone affair. It's even more difficult when you make fundamental mistakes.

Publications:

• Your Startup Is Going To Fail: Guidebook for a strong foundation for your B2B business (2019)

Within the IT field, security is often a low priority when it comes to building new environments. As security compliance continues to gain prominence, proper and secure product configuration becomes even more important. Applying security to a complex virtual environment can be a daunting and time-consuming endeavor. This book provides a perfect plan for step-by-step configuration of vSphere 5.5 and its associated components.

Publications:

• VMware vSphere Security Cookbook (2014)

Pattie Grimm is an author, speaker, trainer and coach with more than 25 years of experience in organizational effectiveness, change management, leaders and team training. Pattie's book, "Quiet Women Never Change History" is dedicated to empowering women and girls to be the best they can be in any endeavor they choose. Based on over three years' of research with over 3200 leaders on what makes a great woman leader, this book includes a personal rock star to rock bottom story and back stronger than ever story. The book is filled with exercises, activities and resources to turn insights into action and help you live your best professional and personal life.

Publications:

• Quiet Women Never Change History - Be Strong, Stand Up and Stand Out - Let's Go Kick Some Glass (2014)

Tracey Grove spent nearly 20 years in communications at Microsoft Corp. first in the U.K. then at Redmond. Now she’s the owner of Pure Symmetry Coaching and Consulting and has published her first book. “Taming the Sabertooth: Resilient Leadership in a Stressful World” aims to help others face the stresses of life and work, tackle them head on and become better leaders through the journey.

Publications:

• Taming The Sabertooth: Resilient Leadership In A Stressful World (2019)

Website: puresymmetry.com

Pawan Gupta transitioned into a business career where he served in executive and senior roles at Microsoft, Toshiba, bSquare and five startups. He has done business in twenty-four countries. The secret to his success lies in his ability to connect with his audience, whether it is one on one, in a group meeting or presenting in front of hundreds. In Talk to Convince, you'll find his systematic approach to crafting your message, keeping your audience engaged and speaking with impact. Also included is a special bonus section on succeeding in small-group meetings and investor presentations.

Publications:

• Talk to Convince, The Art and Science of Getting Your Message Across (2016)

Website: talktoconvince.com

Michael Halvorson is the author of more than 40 books (two of the publications are listed below) situated at the intersection between science and the humanities, including titles about History, software development, and business technology. His most recent project is Code Nation: Personal Computing and the Learn to Program Movement in America (2020). He is currently Benson Family Chair of Business and Economic History at Pacific Lutheran University.

Publications:

• Code Nation: Personal Computing and the Learn to Program Movement in America (2020)
• Microsoft Visual Basic 2013 Step by Step (2013)
  

Website: thiscodenation.com

Steve is a programmer and an author of a number of programming books, including C++: A Dialog, Who's Afraid of Java?, and Optimizing C++. His latest project is a new book, Retirement Life Insurance: How Much is Needed to Optimize Retirement Spending. Steve lives in a country house in East Texas with his wife, Susan. Read more about Steve here.

Publications:

• Origitent: Why Original Content Is Property (2018) by J. Neil Schulman, Wendy McElroy, Samuel Edward Konkin III, Stephan Kinsella, and Steve Heller 
• Retirement Life Insurance - How Much is Needed to Optimize Retirement Spending (2017)
• Efficient C/C++ Programming: Smaller, Faster, Better (2014) 
• Large Problems, Small Machines: Transforming Your Programs with Advanced Algorithms (2014)
• C++: A Dialog: Programming with C++ Standard Library (2002)
• Learning to Program in C++ (2000)
• Optimizing C++ (1998)
• Who's Afraid of More C++? (1998)
• C++ Training Guide, Revised Edition: Revised Printing (1997)
• Who's Afraid of Java (1997)
• Introduction to C++ (1997)
• Who's Afraid of C++: Programming Primer for the PC (1996)

Website: steveheller.org

Whether his subject is literature, history, or science, Collins Hemingway has a passion for the art of creative investigation. Hemingway's fiction is shaped by the language of the heart and an abiding regard for courage in the face of adversity. Read our profile on Collins here.

Publications:

• The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: Volume III (2017)
• The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: Volume II (2016)
• The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: A Novel by a Gentleman Volume I (2015)
• Maximum Brainpower: Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom (2012)
• The Fifth Wave: A Strategic Vision for Mobile Internet Innovation, Investment and Return (2012)
• What Happy Companies Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Company for the Better (2006) by Dan Baker, Cathy Greenberg, Collins Hemingway
  
• Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe (2005) by Arthur Rubinfeld and Collins Hemingway
  
• Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy (1999) by Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway
  

Website: austenmarriage.com

Andrew Himes is the author of The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family. He was born into one of the leading fundamentalist families of the 20th century. Himes' grandfather was John R. Rice, dean of American fundamentalists for decades until his death in 1980, and mentor to many younger Baptist preachers including Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell, as well as founding editor of The Sword of the Lord newspaper. Himes' great-grandfather, Will Rice, was a preacher, a Texas State senator, and a leading member of the Ku Klux Klan in Texas during the 1920s. By the time Himes was four, he had been saved; by the time he was 17, he’d turned his back on the career as a Baptist preacher expected of him by his family, becoming instead an activist in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 60s. Only later in life did he begin a spiritual journey to reconnect with and redefine his family’s spiritual heritage.

Publications:

• The Sword of the Lord: Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family (2012)

Website: swordofthelordbook.com

Mike Howard is a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) at Microsoft for 16 years, with previous careers at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for 22 years and in his youth, a few years with the Oakland, California Police Department. ​ Mike and his wife are recently retired and have moved to the Las Vegas area. ​

Mike is now publishing his first book, The Art of Ronin Leadership. The premise is that no matter how successful you have been and are as a leader, you are never there. You are constantly learning, or you should be. ​ Mike has committed himself to lifelong learning so that he can continue to hone his leadership skills. Mike is a Rōnin leader, morphing the way Microsoft managed its global risk. As a speaker and consultant, he works with organizations globally.

Publications:

• The Art of Rōnin Leadership : Strategy. Execution. Sustained Success. (2021)  

Website: mikehowardauthor.com

Susan Howlett has been a consultant to thousands of nonprofits across North America over the last 25 years, she previously served as a board member, development director and executive director. Susan speaks, trains and consults nationally, due to her reputation for offering simple solutions to complex, systemic problems, delivered with stories, humor and chocolate. She facilitates several board retreats each month, helping nonprofits create strategic plans and adopt more strategic leadership and fundraising models. Funders (like community foundations and United Ways) and state and national associations engage Susan to lead highly interactive training sessions.

She has served as core faculty since 1990 in the 9-month Fundraising Certificate Program at the University of Washington, Susan received UW’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004. She’s taught courses on boards, fundraising and grantwriting at a dozen other colleges throughout the Northwest.

Originally from Montana, Susan has lived in Seattle since 1975. She’s happily married, has two grown children, and spends her non-work time gardening, rowing crew, and serving on the boards of social justice organizations.

Publications:

• Getting Funded:  The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals (2016) 
• Boards on Fire: Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully (2010)

Website: susanhowlett.com

Lisa Hufford is the founder and CEO of Simplicity Consulting, which has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for five years running as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Inc. also named Lisa one of the top 10 female entrepreneurs, and she has been chosen as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Woman.

Publications:

• Navigating the Talent Shift: How to Build On-Demand Teams that Drive Innovation, Control Costs, and Get Results (2016)
• Be You: Five Steps to Living Your Personal Brand (2011)

Website: lisahufford.com

Eric J. Hull has been writing and publishing stories, books, and poetry for 40 years. He'd pick Star Trek over Star Wars, savory over sweet, and cats over dogs. He currently lives with his wife and son in the damp little burg of Seattle, Washington. Eric worked at Microsoft for 15 years as a UX architect and producer.

Publications:

• Frost, The Pendulum Series: Book Three (2021)
• Ash, The Pendulum Series: Book Two (2018)
• Pyre, The Pendulum Series: Book One (2016)

Kate Isler’s incredible story of blazing global business trails in the early days of Microsoft demonstrates how women can stop self-selecting out of opportunities and make the leap of faith to pursue their dreams. Kate Isler navigated the male-dominated culture of the technology industry, breaking new global markets for Microsoft in their fast-paced, hyper-growth startup years in some of the most challenging regions in the world – all without a college degree or resources that many believe are necessary for success.

Publications:

• Breaking Borders: A Remarkable Story of Adventure, Family, & Career Success That Defied All Expectations (2021)

Website: kateisler.com

Rahul Jain has more than a decade of sales experience including one year as a channel sales executive for Microsoft Mobile Devices. In “Crack your sales code,” Rahul takes the reader through a journey from sales foundation to evolving sales techniques to help them achieve their objectives. It also covers personal branding, unique sales approaches, and coming up with an elevator pitch and lot more.

Publications:

• Crack Your Sales Code (2021)

Website: amazon.com

Jeff James has led innovation and diversity initiatives in technology, marketing, economic development, and publishing industries and currently serves as vice president and publisher of business and leadership books and e-courses for HarperCollins. Having worked in numerous roles at Microsoft, James has been featured in Forbes and Publishers Weekly. James holds a master's degree from West Virginia University and is pursuing a PhD in organizational leadership at Eastern University. A co-founder of Create West Virginia, a nonprofit to advance innovation economy opportunities, James lives in the Nashville, Tennessee, area with his wife and four daughters. 

Publications:

• Giving Up Whiteness: One Man's Journey (2020)

 

John was born in Bellingham, Washington, and lived in the area until 1974, when he began his professional career as an engineer with Hewlett Packard Company. John worked for Hewlett Packard for 12 years, where he held various technical and marketing positions at the company.

In 1986 he joined Microsoft Corporation and managed several organizations, most recently as General Manager of Worldwide OEM Sales and Marketing.

John retired from Microsoft in February 2001 and now serves on several boards, including the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention, where he is President & CEO. He is a member of several professional associations including the History of Science Society and the IEEE.

His interests include the history of science and technology, electronic and computer related technologies, and nearly 50 years as a collector of early radio and electrical scientific apparatus. John's personal collection includes many one of a kind items dating back to the 16th century.

John lectures and writes on topics related to the history of technology, and in his free time he can be found hiking in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two Labrador retrievers.

Publications:

• Where Discovery Sparks Imagination: A Pictorial History of Radio and Electricity (2009)

For many women re-entering the workforce after a career break, the job search world is a disorienting, confusing, and overwhelming place. Getting started is much easier when you know what the first step should be. In “Back to Business,” Nancy McSharry Jensen and Sarah Duenwald have put together a guide for women returning to the workplace.

The authors understand through first-hand experience the anxiety of returning to work. They have helped hundreds of women facing the job search process to overcome what is often an overwhelming life change. Nancy was a product manager at Microsoft for more than 12 years.

Publications:

• Back to Business by Nancy McSharry Jensen and Sarah Duenwald (2020)

"What is the importance and meaning of freedom to self-fulfillment? How does our environment-- our family, the government, and the media-- mix with our biology to shape and taint our behavior, and therefore impact our ability to make choices?

Why Freedom draws from philosophy and the sciences to answer these questions in light of mans search for meaning. Thoroughly researched, Why Freedom synthesizes Existentialism, Pragmatism, Evolutionary and Social Psychology, Biology, Physics, and Economics into an interdisciplinary paradigm of human intent. Unveiling mans abilities and freedoms to seek self-fulfillment, this is a book you wish you'd read at 21!"

Publications:

• Why Freedom: The Meaning and Practice of Freedom (2002)

Matthew Justice is a software engineer. He spent 17 years at Microsoft where he took on various roles, including debugging the Windows kernel, developing automated fixes, and leading a team of engineers responsible for building diagnostic tools and services. He has worked on low-level software (the operating system) and on software far removed from the underlying hardware (such as web applications). Matthew has a degree in electrical engineering. When he's not writing code or building circuits, Matthew enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, reading, arranging music, and playing old video games.

Publications:

• How Computers Really Work: A Hands-On Guide to the Inner Workings of the Machine (2020)

Website: howcomputersreallywork.com

Meher Anand Kasam is a seasoned software developer with apps used by tens of millions of users every day. Currently an iOS developer at Square, and having previously worked at Microsoft and Amazon, he has shipped features for a range of apps from Square's Point of Sale to the Bing iPhone app. Previously, he worked at Microsoft, where he was the mobile development lead for the Seeing AI app, which has received widespread recognition and awards from Mobile World Congress, CES, FCC, and the American Council of the Blind, to name a few. A hacker at heart with a flair for fast prototyping, he's won several hackathons and converted them to features shipped in widely used products. He also serves as a judge of international competitions including Global Mobile Awards and Edison Awards. 

Publications:

• Practical Deep Learning for Cloud, Mobile, and Edge by Anirudh koul, Siddha Ganju and Meher Kasam (2019)

Website: practicaldeeplearning.ai

Gayle Keller has more than 20 years’ experience working in corporate America as a woman in STEAM. She started her career as a strategic buyer and planner at Publicis Groupe and pivoted to become a general manager at one of the world’s largest publication and events organizations. She spent almost five years at Microsoft as a sales executive. Her inaugural novel showcases the common issues women face in the workplace and how to address these challenges.

Publications:

• • Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead: Triumphant Tales for Working Women to Overcome Adversity, Fear & Self-Doubt (2022)

Website: gaylekeller.org

W.G. Kirst is a writer, technology leader, podcast host, experienced consultant, military veteran, mentor, educator and mindfulness practitioner. He has been writing stories, poems and lyrics for as long as he can remember.

EVERWARD by W.G. Kirst is the inaugural collection of poems illuminating one man’s journey of forgotten knowing and infinite healing. Honoring stages of declaration, discovery and discernment, the collection traces the stitches of self-inquiry and introspection, asking the purpose-seeking question, Who am I? It is raw, honest, vulnerable and revealing.

Publications:

• EVERWARD: One Man's Journey Through Declaration, Discovery & Discernment (2023)

Website: amazon.com/author/wgkirst

Mikaela Kiner spent 15 years in HR leadership at Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, PopCap Games, and Redfin. In 2015 she founded Reverb, which helps companies create a healthy, inclusive culture that engages and inspires employees.

Female Firebrands is an honest, modern, and solutions-oriented guide for dealing with situations women know all too well: sexual harassment, not being taken seriously, and being talked over, passed over, underpaid, and underappreciated. 

Publications:

• Female Firebrands: Stories and Techniques to Ignite Change, Take Control, & Succeed in the Workplace (2020)

Website: reverbpeople.com/femalefirebrands

Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures introduces you to a diverse range of algorithms you’ll use in web applications, systems programming, and data manipulation. Chapter-by-chapter, the book expands on the basic algorithms you’ll already know to give you a better selection of solutions to different programming problems. In it, you’ll discover techniques for improving priority queues, efficient caching, clustering data, and more. Each example is fully illustrated with graphics, language-agnostic pseudo-code, and code samples in various languages. When you’re done, you will be able to implement advanced and little-known algorithms to deliver better performance from your code. You’ll even have the skills to design your own data structures to solve those cases when a custom solution is required.

Publications:

• Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures (2021)

Mitch Lacey is an agile practitioner and trainer and author of the popular book, "The Scrum Field Guide, Practical Advice for Your First Year." With over 10 years of Agile experience, and 18+ years managing projects, Mitch's well rounded approach is suitable to any business.

Publications:

• The Scrum Field Guide: Practical Advice for Your First Year (2012)

Website: mitchlacey.com

Born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley, Scott R. Larson draws on a lifetime of experiences to spin his stories. These include living in France and Chile in the 1970s, working in the software industry in Seattle in the 1980s and 1990s, and observing rural life in the West of Ireland in the 21st century. And sometimes he just makes up his stories out of whole cloth with nothing to draw from but his own idiosyncratic imagination.

Publications:

• Last of the Tuath Dé (2022)
• Searching for Cunégonde (2020) 
• Laturo's Spear (2017)
• The Three Towers of Afranon (2016)
• Maximilian and Carlotta Are Dead (2014)

Website: scottlarsonbooks.com

It’s nearly Christmas and Will Shakespeare, haunted by writer’s block and the ghost of Christopher Marlowe, has 12 days to create the perfect holiday play for Her Majesty the Queen. With the deadline looming, we’re treated to mistaken identity, a love triangle, and plenty of sexual innuendo as a rousing band of misfit thespians stop at nothing to ensure the show will go on! Featuring laugh-out-loud parodies of your favorite Christmas melodies, this fun holiday romp is a merry, irreverent send-up that mashes Twelfth Night, Richard III, and A Christmas Carol with historical inaccuracies and slanderous fabrications into an Elizabethan pudding that serves everyone!

Publications:

• Holiday of Errors (2016) by Frank Lawler and Daniel Flint

With a diverse career that spans over fifteen years, Sarah has been a part of every aspect of the IT world. Sarah is a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and ex-Microsoft employee.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in Scotland, Sarah holds true to her heritage by embracing the natural world through her appreciation for technology. For Sarah, technology is a way to see life as it grows and adapts, ever-changing, just like the natural world of farming.

Sarah is proud to give back to her community. As a STEM Ambassador, Sarah helps others learn how IT can impact and change their lives for the better. Most specifically, she enjoys teaching the next generation of young women how they too can rise in a male-oriented field and succeed in their own careers. Sarah also founded the Glasgow Azure User Group, a community collective who meets bimonthly to network and discuss the latest in technology.

Sarah’s enthusiasm in the field of technology has given her the opportunity to speak at public events, most notably, Microsoft Ignite.

Publications:

• Developer Relations for Beginners: What to Know and How to Get Started (2022)

Website: techielass.gumroad.com

Roy Leban is a lifelong puzzle constructor with thousands of puzzles to his credit. His puzzles have appeared in the New York Times, GAMES, and a multitude of other newspapers, books and collections around the world. He has also created numerous physical puzzles and games. Between puzzles, Roy has time to found puzzle technology company Puzzazz. Earlier in his software career, he built groundbreaking products in desktop productivity, web publishing, early tablet computers, and interactive education, shipping more than 30 products over the years.

Publications:

• The Librarian's Almanaq (2015)

Website: almanaq.com

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee is the Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures (www.sinovationventures.com/) and President of Sinovation Venture’s Artificial Intelligence Institute. Sinovation Ventures, managing US$2 billion investment funds, is a leading venture capital firm focusing on developing the next generation of Chinese high-tech companies. Prior to founding Sinovation in 2009, Dr. Lee was the President of Google China. Previously, he held executive positions at Microsoft, SGI, and Apple. Dr. Lee received his Bachelor degree from Computer Science from Columbia University, Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as Honorary Doctorate Degrees from both Carnegie Mellon and the City University of Hong Kong. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Times 100 in 2013, WIRED 25 Icons , Asian Business Leader 2018 by Asia House, and followed by over 50 million audience on social media.

Publications:

• Al 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future (2021)
• Al Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order (2018)

James Gordon Letwin is an American software developer.

While at Microsoft, Letwin worked on a number of projects. His first project at Microsoft was writing a BASIC compiler. He is most noted for being the lead architect of the OS/2 operating system on the Microsoft side. Letwin contributed much of the design and code for several core components, including the HPFS file system.

Since leaving Microsoft, Letwin has donated substantial amounts of money to environmental causes via the Wilburforce Foundation, a charitable foundation created by him and his wife, Rose.

Publications:

• Inside OS/2 (2008)

Website: wilburforce.org

Richard S. Levine has been a math teacher, a software engineer, and a video games designer. Now he's busy writing speculative fiction.

He has had stories published in Emerald Tales, OG's Speculative Fiction, Raygun Revival, The Fifth Di, The Lorelei Signal, and other online and print magazines. "A Comic on Phobos" received a nomination for Samsdotpublishing's James award.

Publications:

• Science Fiction: Time Travel and Robots 2 (2015)
• Science Fiction: Genetics (2015)
• Movie Magic Squares: Volume 1 (2013)
• Science Fiction: Time Travel (2011)
• Science Fictions: Tragedies (2011)
• Science Fiction: Robots & Cyborgs (2011)
• Science Fiction: Future Youth (2011)
• Science Fiction: The Arts (2011)
• Face Facts (2011)
• A Comic on Phobos (2011)

Website: rickslevine.com

Andrea Lewis was Microsoft's first technical writer. She is now a freelance writer and she helped build a literary center, Richard Hugo House.

Publications:

• What My Last Man Did (2017)

Website: andrealewis.org

Steven B. Levy is a business leader, project manager, speaker, and author. Previously, he worked at Microsoft in a variety of senior roles. His unique and practical approaches to business topics stem from his 35+ years leading businesses on three continents. He is the author of Legal Project Management, Legal Project Management Field Guide, The Off Switch, and PowerPoint Slides That Work!, all available from Amazon.com.

Publications:

• PowerPoint Slides That Work: Show & Tell for Grownups (2016)

Jodi Liano is the founder of San Francisco Cooking School, and is an instructor there. In addition to a 15-year career as a cooking teacher, Jodi has written four cookbooks, including Cooking from the Farmers Market and Eggs and spent time working at the Food Network. Read our profile of Jodi and her path to cooking here.

Publications:

• Perfect Panini: Mouthwatering recipes for the world’s favorite sandwiches (2013)
• Cooking from the Farmers' Market (2012) by Jodi Liano, Tasha DeSerio & Jennifer Maiser 
• Eggs: Fresh, Simple Recipes for Frittatas, Omelets, Scrambles & More (2011)
• Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Vegetables: Classic Recipes Redefined (2008)

Website: www.sfcooking.com

Jeff Lyon is a former Microsoft and Bank of America executive. His latest novel provides middle managers with key insights on how to excel at setting goals, and managing people, projects, vendors, suppliers, while advancing their careers in the modern workplace.

Publications:

• The Exceptional Middle Manager (2023)

Website: amazon.com

Newman brought spectacular fish, and along with the fish came plenty of visitors to a revitalized Glacial Lake resort. But the very success of his enterprise pitches Newman into the the midst of a battle for control among government, tribes, and his former employer Ziegler Genetics. Attorneys, police, tribal historians, and beleaguered corporate middle-managers all have their say, and more than one their come-uppance, before the fate of the lake and its designer inhabitants is finally decided.

Richard writes for a living in the Pacific Northwest. Twenty-odd years ago he flew over from Reading, U.K. for just a couple of years. He’s still here.

Publications:

• Joining In (2018)

Website: Joining In (legallyboundbooks.com)

Chris is an accomplished speaker, a published author and certified life coach. Chris has spoken at numerous international conferences, seminars and events on topics such as Business Risks in Latin America, the Influence of Culture on Ethics, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Investigative and Anti-Counterfeiting Trends, Creativity and Cooperation when conducting Intellectual Property Investigations, as well as many other topics.

Publications:

• Counterfeits, War Stories and Lessons Learned - An Investigator's Perspective (2019)

Website: christophermacolini.com

Josh Maher is the president of Seattle Angel, a not-for-profit organization focused on strengthening the startup capital market in the Pacific Northwest. Josh is a Seattle-based investor and consultant with nearly 20 years of experience building and investing in new-technology businesses. He spent 11 years working on the Microsoft Office 365 team. His latest novel “Startup Wealth” includes interviews with early-stage investors to provide insights to unravel the mysteries of startup capital.

Publications:

• Startup Wealth: How the Best Angel Investors Make Money in Startups Kindle Edition (2016)
• How to Make Money Investing in Pre-IPO Stocks: An Investor’s Guide to Building Wealth in Private Companies (2016)
• Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 Administrator's Companion, Second Edition 2nd Edition, by Walter Glenn, Scott Lowe, Joshua Maher (2008)
• Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 Administrator's Companion, by Walter Glenn, Scott Lowe, Joshua Maher (2007)

Website: startupwealth.com

Dana Manciagli, called "a combination of Jillian Michaels and Suze Orman for careers," has been a corporate executive for more than 30 years and has leveraged her employee hiring and management experience into that of author, blogger, keynote speaker, career coach, and global career expert. 

Publications:

• Cut the Crap, Get a Job! a New Job Search Process for a New Era (2013)

Website: danamanciagli.com

John WS Marvin started gaming at a young age. His gateway games were hex based wargames, he started roleplaying with the original white box edition of Dungeons and Dragons™. He designed and wrote early computer games for Twentieth Century Fox and Epyx.

These days, John works on writing and game design. When he’s not skiing or hiking. OK, he thinks about writing and game design while he’s skiing and hiking.

Publications:

• Gods and Icons (2016)
• Tower in the Mist (2016)
  

Website: dreadunicorngames.com

Allison McKenzie is an award-winning author and Microsoft alumna. She did three separate tours with Microsoft, starting in 1993 and wrapping up in 2017. Allison is a winner in the 2020 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Contest (in the unpublished category), and a Finalist for the 2021 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, from the Kiss of Death Chapter of Romance Writers of America, for “The Unexpected Hostage.”

This debut international thriller follows a gutsy executive and rugged doctor as they fight to escape the terrorists holding them hostage and unearth the chilling truth behind a cyberattack.

Nothing in her life has been stable since Tessa’s beloved fiancé Kyle died in a tragic accident. She’s spent the past year hell-bent on outrunning her grief, jetting between high-stakes meetings and the rock clubs where she can disappear. Avoiding her pain was working — almost — until she finds herself and her colleagues under siege and taken hostage by a violent Eastern European terrorist group.

With no means to escape her captors, Tess and fellow captive Mark must rely on one another to survive. Together, they’ll risk their lives and endure a brutal journey toward freedom as they forge a bond that neither can forget.

The mysteries of the past refuse to lay dormant for long as Tess is thrust into the center of another international cybercrime and uncovers the shocking truth about Kyle’s death. This time, she’ll need Mark’s help to avenge her losses as she races across the globe to save her company — and their lives.

Publications:

• The Unexpected Hostage (2023)

Website: www.allisonmckenzie.net

Marc McDonald’s career spans the 30-year PC industry—from the MITS Altair to today—and he holds six software patents. As the first salaried employee at Microsoft, Marc designed the FAT file system for MS-DOS.

Publications:

• The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention (2008) by Marc McDonald, Robert A. Musson, and Ross Smith

Kumar Mehta is the author of the number one Amazon bestseller, The Innovation Biome, and has been at the forefront of research, innovation, and data analytics for thirty years. He researches, writes, and speaks about personal excellence and innovation, and his professional experience includes nine years as the CEO of a large data analytics company and a fourteen-year stint at Microsoft. Dr. Mehta also serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California. He is passionate about education and serves as treasurer of the Committee for Children (CFC), a global nonprofit dedicated to fostering the safety and well-being of children through social-emotional learning and development. He holds a PhD in pharmaceutical socioeconomics from The University of Iowa and lives in Seattle.

Publications:

• The Exceptionals (2021)
• The Innovation Biome (2017)

Website:www.kumarmehta.com

Publishing under the pen name Ambrose Stolliker, Jeff Meisner’s new novel, “Old Hollow” transports readers to Virginia during the Civil War. In the burg of Old Hollow, soldiers encounter something worse than war. Jeff, his wife and son live in Bothell, Washington. He worked at Microsoft from 2010 to 2017 and is now a digital marketing manager for Avalara. Read our profile of Jeff here.

Publications:

His stories can be seen in Stupefying Stories Magazine, WEIRD CITY, Creepy Campfire Quarterly, Ghostlight Magazine, Sex and Murder Magazine, Hungur Magazine, Sanitarium Magazine, The Tincture Journal, Charon Coin Press’ State of Horror: Louisiana, Volume II anthology and DAOwen Publications’ horror anthology Muffled Scream I: Corner of the Eye.

• Old Hollow (2018)
  

Website: ambrosestolliker.wordpress.com

John Meyer has over 20 years of experience as a business development and marketing executive. John has a distinguished track record in the software and IT industry. Most notably, John spent over a decade in business development and marketing roles at Microsoft Corporation. John's career has also included Hitachi, Okta and Sumo Logic. John has served on the board of the Food Bank of the Rockies, the board of Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and currently volunteers with the Colorado Technology Association. John is a graduate of Colorado State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and majored in marketing. John is a Colorado native and loves doing anything outdoors with his wife and son.

Publications:

• All Marketing Is Local, The Social Selling Edition (2020)
  

Website: amazon.com/All-Marketing-Local-Social-Selling

Steven Michalove's first collection of poetry is a long overdue window into the mind of an author with numerous and diverse interests and abilities. After decades of building the Internet and work in cybersecurity like applied cryptography and network design and enterprise scale deployment at Fortune 100 (Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Amazon) companies. His poetry collection, Signals From The Left Behind marks a return passion. A lifelong writer, Steven Michalove's first collection of poetry, reads as a dispatch from a mind fractured by the brilliance and desperate passion. Steven Michalove is an American amateur scientist, inventor, engineer, poet, and author, outdoorsman, ski instructor and amateur photographer.

Publications:

• Signals from the Left Behind (2018)

Website: signalsfromtheleftbehind.art

Mike Moore serves as Averetek’s VP of Channel Strategy. Mike has spent twenty-three years in the IT channel as a channel partner and as a channel and field marketer for software companies like Microsoft, GE Healthcare, and Progress Software.

Mike lives in the Boston-area with his wife Denise and their three children.

Publications:

• Marketing Multiplied: A real-world guide to Channel Marketing for beginners, practitioners, and executives (2018) by Mike Moore and Peter Thomas
  

Website: marketingmultiplied-book.com

Dr. Peter Morris is a semi-retired computer scientist; software engineer; academic; researcher; lecturer. Ex-Microsoft developer.

It’s a sad truth that maths has the reputation of being “difficult.” Part of the problem is that many of us simply don’t speak the language. To a mathematician, an equation is a compact, efficient way to put across a relationship that would be far less comprehensible in words. But to many of us, the merest sign of an x, y, or symbol is an impenetrable mess that our eyes bounce off. This book provides an engaging overview of what maths is and what it can do, without having to solve simultaneous equations or prove geometric theorems, far more of us might get the point of it. It is divided into four chapters, each covering a major developmental route in the topic, from Arithmetic & Numbers to Geometry and from Algebra & Calculus to Applied Mathematics.

Publications:

• Math: A Crash Course: Become An Instant Expert (2019) by Brian Clegg and Peet Morris

Learn the essentials for developing mobile applications for any Windows-based mobile device. Focusing on proven techniques and practices, this guide addresses the real-world needs of experienced Microsoft Windows mobile developers. Users are growing increasingly dependent on mobile devices, and with innovations that make it easy to manage data synchronization, this proliferation will continue. Developers need to respond to this evolution with more than simple adaptations of the user interface that they need to implement mobile solutions for most of their applications.

From expert authors Daniel Moth, Andy Wigley and Peter Foot who have years of real-world experience, this book addresses this evolution, covering key mobile-development topics, including design, debugging, deployment, performance optimization, security, and globalization. It also covers mobile applications that use Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition, and Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, running on devices such as Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile Smartphones. In addition, it includes extensive code samples in Microsoft Visual C#, with additional code sample in Microsoft Visual Basic on the book’s companion Web site.

Publications:

• Microsoft Mobile Development Handbook (2007)

Website: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft%C2%AE-Development-Handbook-Developer-Reference/dp/0735623589

Mark Mueller-Eberstein is one of the world’s leading experts on how businesses can leverage key technology trends, transform organizations and to drive a competitive advantage. He is an internationally renowned business leader, entrepreneur, investor, consultant, best-selling author, and teaches at Rutgers University’s Business School. He leads “The Innovation Economy Research Institute”, works with the Shenzhen (China) based Qianhai Institute for Innovation Research (QIIR), APEC and delivers guest lectures at e.g. Seattle University.

Mark is the founder and is leading the Adgetec Corporation’s consulting business since 2010.

Publications:

• The Trust Technology: How Blockchain is Changing Your World (2019)
  
• Migrating to the Cloud (2013)
• No Fear: Business Leadership in the Age of Digital Cowboys (2011) by Pekka Vilijakainen and Mark Mueller-Eberstein
• Agility: Competing and Winning in a Tech-Savvy Marketplace (2010)
  

Website: mueller-eberstein.com

Simon Mullins has been a recruiter and recruiting leader for almost his entire career—he even started a recruiting agency while a student at university. He has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, and the US (on both coasts), for startups and as a leader at a Fortune 50 company. In 2004, Simon joined Microsoft’s Executive Recruiting Team, which he led from 2006 to 2012, eventually becoming Senior Director of the company. The team became highly integrated with Microsoft’s succession planning process and was responsible for all external hiring of the company’s most impactful executives, including board directors.

Publications:

• Leadership Recruiting: Strategy, Tactics and Tools for Hiring Organizations (2020) by Simon Mullins and David Lord
  

Website: leadershiprecruiting.com

Nathan Myhrvold, founder of The Cooking Lab, coauthor of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking and Modernist Cuisine at Home, and author of The Photography of Modernist Cuisine, has had a passion for science, cooking, and photography since he was a boy. By the age of 13, Nathan had already cooked the family Thanksgiving feast and transformed the household bathroom into a darkroom.

Myhrvold holds a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics as well as a master's degree in economics from Princeton University. He holds additional master's degrees in geophysics and space physics and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. At Cambridge University, Myhrvold did postdoctoral work with Stephen Hawking in cosmology, quantum field theory in curved space-time, and quantum theories of gravitation, all before starting a software company that would be acquired by Microsoft.

As his career developed, he still found time to explore the culinary world and photography. While working directly for Bill Gates as the chief technology officer at Microsoft, Nathan was part of the team that won the Memphis World Championship Barbecue contest; he worked as a stagier at Chef Thierry Rautureau's restaurant Rover's, in Seattle; he then took a leave of absence to earn his culinary diploma from École de Cuisine La Varenne, in France.

Nathan retired from Microsoft in 1999 to found Intellectual Ventures and pursue several lifelong interests in photography, cooking, and food science. 

Read our spotlight on Nathan Myhrvold here.

Publications:

• Modernist Bread: The Art and Science (2017) by Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya
• The Photography of Modernist Cuisine (2013)
• Strategic Terrorism: A Call to Action (2013) 
• Modernist Cuisine at Home (2012) By Nathan Myhrvold and Maxime Bilet
• Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking (2011) by Nathan Myhrvold and Chris Young

Website: nathanmyhrvold.com

Rachel Nabors began telling stories online as a teenager with her award-winning web comics. Her love of web technologies transformed into a career in front-end development, where she has worked with Mozilla, the W3C, and now Microsoft. She tends the web animation community via the Animation at Work Slack and her web animation newsletter. When she isn’t traveling the world, giving talks, or kissing puppies, she can be found perched in Seattle sipping a cup of fancy tea.

Publications:

• Animation at Work (2017)
  

Website: rachelnabors.com

A Montana native but a Seattleite since 2001, Brian is a petrolhead of the first order, having spent more than 15 years as an amateur garage tuner building engines, installing stereo systems, and custom fabricating parts. As a founder and leader of multiple local car enthusiast clubs he has attended hundreds of car shows, parking lot meetings, club drives, and track days, and his interest in automotive photography has sent him to auto shows in London, Sydney, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Detroit. His current project car, a 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, is a multiple best-in-class and best-in-show winner.

Publications:

• Derek and the Triple Crown (2017) by Brian Nash and Amanda Hughes
• Nicky is Stanced Out (2016) by Brian Nash and Amanda Hughes
  

Shaniqua Newton is a Microsoft alum who is writing under the name Marmelibee.

In their debut novel, they take you to a world where witches are shunned and a dark fate awaits her, Aggie, the illegitimate witch-angel-fairy heiress, must harness her powers, navigate love with a Greek god, and face off against her power-hungry half-brother in a battle that will determine the destiny of all supernatural beings.

Publications:

• Meeting Aggie (2023)

Website: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7ND9J45

Whitney started at Microsoft in 2012 working to launch 43 Microsoft specialty retail stores in the U.S. and Canada. She also worked on the international online team and lead global promotional and marketing processes. In her last role at Microsoft, she was a global affiliate marketing lead for the Microsoftstore.com business. Since leaving the company, in addition to growing Sketch and Paws, the Issaquah, Washington resident works full time for Amazon Music, where she leads the music streaming service’s global affiliate marketing efforts. Whitney met fellow Microsoft alumna Melinda George in 2012. A passion about their pooches has led to a website called Sketch and Paws and, now, a children’s picture book called “Dog Breed ABC’s,” illustrated by Whitney and written by Melinda. 

Publications:

• Dog Breed ABC's (2020) by Melinda George and Whitney Niesz 

Website: sketchandpaws.com

Kerry Nietz is an award-winning science fiction author. He has over a half dozen speculative novels in print, along with a novella, a couple short stories, and a non-fiction book, FoxTales.

Kerry’s novel A Star Curiously Singing won the Readers Favorite Gold Medal Award for Christian Science Fiction and is notable for its dystopian, cyberpunk vibe in a world under sharia law. It has over a hundred 5-star reviews on Amazon and is often mentioned on “Best of” lists.

Among his writings, Kerry's most talked about is the genre-bending Amish Vampires in Space. AViS was mentioned on the Tonight Show and in the Washington Post, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Newsweek called it “a welcome departure from the typical Amish fare.”

Kerry is a refugee of the software industry. He spent more than a decade of his life flipping bits, first as one of the principal developers of the database product FoxPro for the now mythical Fox Software, and then as one of Bill Gates's minions at Microsoft. He is a husband, a father, a technophile and a movie buff.

Publications:

• Rhats! (2017) 
• Graxin: A Short Story (2017)
• The DarkTrench Saga Complete Collection: A Star Curiously Singing, The Superlative Stream (2016)
• Frayed (2016)
• The Superlative Stream (2016) 
• A Star Curiously Singing (2016)
• Amish Zombie from Space (2015)
• Amish Vampires in Space (2014)
• Mask (2013)
• Freeheads (2011)
• FoxTales: Behind the Scenese at Fox Software (2011)

Website: www.nietz.com

Gisli Olafsson is one of the leading experts in the world on the use of technology in disaster response. Gisli is a sought after speaker, trainer and advisor on the role technology can play in enhancing the response to large scale natural and man-made disasters. Gisli Olafsson joined NetHope in November 2010 as the Emergency Response Director. He is responsible for coordinating information and communication technology (ICT) related emergency preparedness and emergency response activities of NetHope’s 41 member organizations. They include organizations such as International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent, Save the Children, WorldVision, Oxfam, Relief International, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee and 33 other world leading non-profit organizations.

Publications:

• The Crisis Leader: The Art of Leadership in Times of Crisis (2014)
  

Website: thecrisisleader.com

Bruce Oliver is the recipient of the Travel Weekly Silver Magellan Award for individuals in the travel industry and was awarded the 2014 Best of Enfield Cruise Agents. He's a member of OASIS Agent and the Signature Travel Network. He's the recipient of many honors and awards in his community and higher education. In 1989, he graduated with a MBA from the University of Hartford. Bruce is listed in MARQUIS: Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in American Education.

Publications:

• SENSATIONAL CUBA Scratch and Sniff Edition (Illustrated): Read, Plan, Visit & Cook (2019)
• Secrets of Cooking Using Spices Herbs and Salts (2019)

A child of the 60s, Tony voraciously read every science fiction and adventure book he could. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and two children.

Dancer David Knight is abducted from Amsterdam’s Red Light district and dragged to a clinic owned by Richard Reynolds, a billionaire with a serious problem. A prototype for a device that could save Reynolds’ company has gone missing and the only one who knew its whereabouts, a Cold War spy, is dead. To find the missing device, Reynolds forces David to undergo a procedure to host the last thirty seconds of the spy’s memories. The procedure goes awry, however, and the spy’s memories, skills, and abilities download into David and break him free from Reynolds’ clinic. Dazed and disoriented, David stumbles out into the Amsterdam night and into a world he has only ever encountered in spy novels. As the hunt begins, Reynolds needs David alive, but a rich televangelist wants him dead. Another man’s memories become David’s only protection in a battle between religious greed and corporate profits."

Publications:

• The Amsterdam Deception: Book One in The David Knight Series (2020)

Website: tonyollivier.com

Lonnie Pacelli is an author, consultant, speaker, and publisher driven to equip strong PM's, build great leaders, and promote autism awareness.

Equip Strong PMs - Lonnie leverages 30+ years of project successes (and failures) to help new and experienced project managers be more effective at delivering successful projects. He has a proven track record of helping deliver successful projects while simultaneously coaching project managers; a process he calls "coach and deliver".

Build Great Leaders - Lonnie utilizes his leadership experience at Accenture and Microsoft to help new and mid-level leaders grow. His coaching approach begins with an understanding of greatest strengths and greatest areas of improvement, then puts a specific coaching plan in place to leverage strengths to help address areas of improvement. He has successfully coached leaders at all levels and knows how to help leaders grow in-the-moment so they can put new tools and techniques to work fast.

Promote Autism Awareness - Lonnie's son Trevor was diagnosed with autism at age 5 and has experienced many of the highs and lows that accompany autism. Lonnie, his wife Patty, and big sister Briana have made family adjustments throughout the years including Lonnie leaving his job at Microsoft to focus on home-schooling Trevor. Trevor recently graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Film & Media Studies and is now Media Director at Mom & Dad's company. Lonnie is committed to helping dads with autistic kids better cope and have hope for their children and wants others to learn from both his successes and mistakes. 

Publications:

• Six-Word Lessons to Avoid Project Disaster: 100 Questions to Ask to Keep Your Project from Tanking (2017)
• Six-Word Lessons for Dads with Autistic Kids: 100 Lessons to Help Fathers and their Children Create Strong Bonds (2013)
• Why Don't They Follow Me? 12 Easy Lessons to Boost Your Leadership Skills (2009)
• Six-Word Lessons for Project Managers: 100 Lessons to Make You a Better Project Manager (2009)
• The Truth About Getting Your Point Across:...and Nothing But the Truth (2006)
• The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups, and How to Cut Them off at the Pass (2004)

Website: lonniepacelli.com

Aaron Painter is a global executive who is passionate about how listening empowers people and organizational growth. As Vice President and General Manager at Microsoft in China, he led a broad team of sales, marketing, product, and partner management professionals. He was also an executive sponsor for Microsoft’s rising millennial workforce of recent hires from top undergraduate and MBA programs. Painter has lived and worked in six countries across four continents and exemplifies a new generation of global leaders. He is a highly sought-after speaker and advisor to companies that are seeking business transformation.

Publications:

• LOYAL: A Leader's Guide to Winning Customer and Employee Loyalty (2017)

Website: aaronpainter.com

A lifelong motoring enthusiast, Julian has lived in both the UK and France and has driven more than half a million miles throughout Europe and North America. After a career in book and software publishing, he now spends much of his time writing and translating motoring books and articles, many of them devoted to the pleasures of driving on the Continent. He has also written on makes including Mazda, Mercedes, MG and Volvo. Julian is a member of both the Guild of Motoring Writers and the Institute of Advanced Motorists in the UK. Read more about Julian here.

Publications:

• Citroën Cars 1934-1986: A Pictorial History (2022)
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class 1972-80 (W116 series): The Essential Buyer's Guide (2020)
• France: The Essential Guide for Car Enthusiasts - New Edition: 200 things for the car enthusiast to see and do (2017)
• Mercedes-Benz W123: The Essential Buyer's Guide (2017)
• Mercedes-Benz 190: The Essential Buyer's Guide (2017)
  
• The Essential Guide to Driving in Europe: Drive safely and stay legal in 50 countries! (2016)
• Mercedes-Benz SL R129: The Essential Buyer's Guide (2016)
• Mazda RX-8: The Essential Buyer's Guide (2016)

Website: velcoe.co.uk

Tyler Parris is a Hudson-certified executive coach and author and former corporate chief of staff. His professional career has spanned operations management at Intellectual Ventures, program management at Advaiya, Inc., technical editing at Microsoft, and computer networking in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a BA in English from Marshall University and Master of Technical and Scientific Communication (MTSC) from Miami University (OH). Before starting his professional career, he worked with youth in camps and non-profits, built an adult literacy program from the ground-up, and cut his teeth as a freelance writer. His writing and editing credits include technical publications, book reviews on military and political subjects, a poem, and his first book, "Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization." Although ultimately this book is for senior executives (CEOs and board members) who have decisions to make about creating or evolving a chief of staff role, it is written it in such a way that it will be useful to other leaders who use chiefs of staff or quasichiefs of staff, incumbent chiefs of staff, HR executives, and even prospective chiefs of staff or people who are curious about how a role like this can benefit their careers.

Publications:

• Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization (2015)

Website: chiefofstaff.expert

Richard Parry grew up on a steady diet of cartoons, observed around the edges of his parents’ watchful gaze. He started writing bad fiction at an early age, but has had 30 (…plus) years to think about the error of his ways.

He’s worked as an international consultant in one of the world’s top tech companies, which sounds cool, but it wasn’t all cocaine parties. Richard’s managed to wrangle “Best Novel” and “Best New Talent” shortlistings from the Sir Julius Vogel Awards. He specialises in stories where heroes save the world/universe (hey, why limit yourself?) through action scenes and clever dialogue. His latest series starts with Tyche’s Flight, an action-paced space opera where humans fight against evil mind-reading aliens

Publications:

Tyche’s Flight (2017) Tyche’s Deceit(2017) Tyche’s Crown(2018) Tyche’s Demons (2018) Tyche’s Ghosts (2018) Tyche’s Angels (2018) Tyche’s First (2018) Tyche’s Chosen(2018) Tyche’s Hope (2018) Tyche’s Fury (2018) Tyche’s Grace (2018) Tyche’s Gravedigger (2018) Tyche Origins (2018)

Chromed: Upgrade (2018) Chromed: Rogue (2018) Chromed: Restore (2019) Chromed: Consensus (2018) Chromed: Delilah (2018) Chromed: Meltdown (2018) Night’s Favor (2017, originally published 2013, this edition revised for the US market) Night’s Fall (2017, originally published 2016, also revised for US market) Night’s End (2017)

Website: modegreen.co

Keith Partington graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and worked as a collaborative sales professional at Microsoft Corp. in Upstate New York for 28 years. His tenure spanned multiple industries and various citizenship initiatives that support workforce development, diversity, and education. Since 2018, Keith has leveraged his broad sales, marketing and technology skills as a non-profit freelancer to help with projects focused on accessibility and inclusion. And he has penned his first book, Fraternal Resolve.

Bonded by birth; friends by choice.

Fraternal twins Tom and Theresa have always been close, though they have chosen to follow different paths. Tom is a successful up-and-comer in the fast-moving, high-paying world of computer programming. Though his long hours and relentless grind keep him single, he enjoys family life vicariously, spending a lot of time with Theresa, her husband and her young son.

Police sergeant Theresa is finishing out her final weeks on the street before stepping into her new role behind the desk, running the academy. It is a welcome move that will give her more time with her family.

But when Theresa surprises a group of drug runners while running an errand for Tom, she is gunned down and mortally wounded. Tormented by guilt, Tom swears to avenge her. To do so, he must channel his fallen twin’s grit and transform himself from white-collar tech geek to hardened warrior.

Publications:

• Fraternal Resolve (2023)

Website: https://www.amazon.com/author/keith_partington

Ron Patton is a software consultant living in Washington State. His software test experience is wide and varied from mission critical systems to painting programs for kids. In 1992 he joined Microsoft as a Software Test Lead in the Systems Group for Multimedia Viewer, the authoring tool and multimedia display engine used by Encarta, Cinemania, and Bookshelf. He moved on to become the Software Test Manager of the Kids Product Unit. Most recently, he was the Software Test Manager of the Microsoft Hardware Group responsible for the software shipped with the mouse, keyboard, gaming, telephony, and ActiMates product lines.

Publications:

• Software Testing (2005)

Christophe Pichaud is a Microsoft Expert (MCSD, MCSD.NET) who obtained the World MVP Developer Technologies Award in 2017. MVPs are Experts recognized by Microsoft and their expertise translates into a passion for technologies and the sharing of information.

Microsoft's NET Technology was created in 2001. NET is the continuation of COM and Microsoft's desire to make Windows Applications as easy as Visual Basic but as efficient as Visual C++. The C# language is vast and makes it possible to create object-oriented applications very easily with a fairly powerful level of complexity. Through these technical articles, you will find many examples of types of cases that will allow you to adopt a professional style and become a NET Expert. NET is the future of development according to Microsoft so, you have plenty of time... Mastering NET is a long and winding road...

Publications:

• Windows et la Technologie Microsoft .NET: Avec C#, NET5, .NET Core, C++, WIndow,s Linux, Azure (2021)
• Aide-Memoire C++ (2021)
• Aide-Memoire C# (2021)
• Apprendre le C++ Moderne et la STL sur Windows, Linux, Azure: Avec C++ 11, 14, 17 et 20 (2021)
• Learn Modern C++ and STL: on Windows, Linux, Azure (2021)

Website: www.windowscpp.com

Matt Pietrek worked at Microsoft from 2004 to 2011 as a software design engineer. Now, he refers to himself as "The Cocktail Wonk" and takes his love for craft cocktails to make tiki drinks that are both geek and chic. In "Minimalist Tiki", learn the techniques, tools, and ingredients behind classics like the Mai Tai and Navy Grog in its' 300 hardbound pages.

Publications:

• Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard (2019)

Website: minimalisttiki.com

Cheryl Platz is a world-renowned interaction designer, speaker, teacher, and actor whose career spans multiple industries including natural user interfaces and artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, cutting-edge video game platforms, automotive infotainment, and most recently information technology for large-scale philanthropy. Her diverse background not only includes a degree in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University and time with top tech employers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Disney working on products like Azure, Alexa, and Windows Automotive, but also includes a 4-year stint in the video games industry with Maxis/Electronic Arts and Griptonite Games.

Publications:

• Design Beyond Devices (2020)

Website: rosenfeldmedia.com

A successful and optimistic Autistic Multimillionaire chronicles his journey with Autism and reflects on how the disorder has helped and hindered him as he went from high school dropout to successful husband, father, executive, and entrepreneur. He explains what he knows now that he wishes he’d known when younger in order to make living with Autism more rewarding and less challenging. He explores what makes those like him - the “Sheldon Coopers” of the World - tick, and he analyzes and explains numerous powerful behaviors of those on the Spectrum that can relentlessly drive success in people ranging from Einstein to Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. What can everyone learn from their examples? This book is David’s attempt to make the lives of others on the Autism Spectrum (and those close to them) easier and more successful by documenting the strategies, techniques, and tools that he developed throughout his life to both manage and leverage the attributes and behaviors related to his Autism Spectrum Disorder. Chapter topics include Symptoms, Emotions, Empathy, Hyperfocus, Special Interests, Employment, Parenting, Relationships and Marriage, Mindblindness, Bullying, Meltdowns, Masking, and more, all told from the personal perspective of someone who has been there.

Publications:

• Secrets of the Autistic Millionaire: Everything I know about Autism, ASD, and Asperger's that I wish I'd known back then... (2021)

Sridhar Poduri was a program manager on the Windows team, focused on increasing developer productivity with C++ and XAML. He has been involved with Windows 8 development from the start, including developing one of the first C++/XAML apps for Windows 8. A C++ aficionado and a new parent, he blogs regularly on WinRT and native C++.

Publications:

• Modern C++ and Windows Store Apps (2013)

Website: sridharpoduri.com

At age nineteen, Shannon Huffman Polson became the youngest woman ever to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America. She went on to reach the summits of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Kilimanjaro and spent more than a decade traveling the world. Yet it was during her experience serving as one of the Army's first female attack helicopter pilots, and eventually leading an Apache flight platoon on deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina, that she learned the lessons of leadership that forever changed her life.

Where did these insights come from? From her own crucibles of experience—and from other women. In writing The Grit Factor, Polson made it her mission to connect with an elite pack of tough, impressive female iconoclasts who shared with her their candid stories of combat and career. This slate of decorated leaders includes Heather Penney, one of the first female F-16 pilots, who was put on a suicide mission for 9/11; General Ann Dunwoody, the first female four-star general in the Army; Amy McGrath, the first female Marine to fly the F/A-18 in combat and a 2020 candidate for the US Senate—and dozens of other unstoppable women who got there first, including Polson herself. These women led at the highest levels in the most complicated, challenging, and male-dominated organization in the world. Now, in the post-#MeToo era, when positive role models of women leading are needed as never before, Polson brings these voices together, sharing her own life lessons and theirs with storytelling flair, keen insight, and incisive analysis of current research. With its gripping narrative and relatable takeaways, The Grit Factor is both inspiring and pragmatic, a book that will energize and enlighten current and aspiring leaders everywhere—whether male or female.

Publications:

• The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World (2020) 
• The Way the Wild Gets Inside: Field Notes from Alaska (2015)
• North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey (2013)

Website: bookshop.org

Author Kathleen Prince is the niece of George R. Moon, the protagonist of her book "An Unlikely Hero: Memoirs of a B-26 Radio Operator in WWII" . She faithfully transcribed the correspondence and researched WWII history to produce a book about the life of one "Unlikely Hero."

Publications:

• An Unlikely Hero: Memoirs of a B-26 Radio Operator in WWII (2015)

With excellent orchestration and routing capabilities, Kubernetes is an enterprise-grade platform for building microservices applications. Kubernetes is evolving as the de facto container management tool used by organizations and cloud vendors all over the world. Kubernetes Succinctly by Rahul Rai and Tarun Pabbi is your guide to learning Kubernetes and leveraging its many capabilities for developing, validating, and maintaining your applications.

Publications:

• Kubernetes Succinctly (2019) by Rahul Rai and Tarun Pabbi

Website: thecloudblog.net

Steven Ramirez is the author of the horror thriller series TELL ME WHEN I’M DEAD. He has also published short stories as well as a children’s book, and he wrote the screenplay for the horror thriller film ‘Killers.’ Read more about Steven here.

Publications:

• Come As You Are (2017) 
• Even the Dead Will Bleed (2015)
• Dead Is All You Get (2014)
• Tell Me When I'm Dead (2013)

Website: stevenramirez.com

April Reagan is a futures-thinking veteran of the high-tech world. She has worked for Intel, Microsoft, Samsung, and Fjord Design and Innovation (part of Accenture Interactive), among others. She has worked with clients across retail, financial services, consumer products, wireless communications, and digital media, as well as collaborating with non-profits. April loves attending the Consumer Electronic Show each year, seeing the latest and greatest innovations, and being surrounded by thousands of other future-optimists. Motivated to bring increased awareness to the phenomena, she started her company, Palm Trees and Robots, to guide companies, communities and students in preparing for the future in an uplifting and proactive way. Bridge Makers: Becoming a Citizen Futurist answers an echoing call for a beginner's guide to foresight. Drawing from her decades of experience in high-tech, April Reagan presents an array of historical information, tools and research to guide readers through an educational journey.

Publications:

• Bridge Makers: Becoming a Citizen Futurist (2021)

Website: bridgemakersbook.com

Johann Rehberger has over fifteen years of experience in threat analysis, threat modeling, risk management, penetration testing, and red teaming. As part of his many years at Microsoft, Johann established a penetration test team in Azure Data and led the program as Principal Security Engineering Manager. Currently, Rehberger works as an independent security and software engineer. Additionally, he enjoys providing training and was an instructor for ethical hacking at the University of Washington.  

Publications:

• Cybersecurity Attacks- Red Team Strategies (2020)

Karan Ferrell-Rhodes is a leadership and organizational strategist whose work researching the behaviors and tactics of the world's most high achieving leaders and organizations has resulted in her being a leading thinker on driving impact and influence through differentiated leadership.

She is the founder of Shockingly Different Leadership (SDL), a global human capital professional services firm that helps corporations execute business-critical People, Learning, Culture, and Organizational Effectiveness initiatives. SDL has worked with CXOs and executive teams at companies such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, British Petroleum, Facebook, EY, Raymond James, Major League Baseball (MLB), and Major League Soccer (MLS).

Karan is also a renowned coach for executive and high-potential (HIPO) leaders, as well as a frequent contributor to Forbes.com and the host of Pivots 'n Perspectives, a series which provides an insider's look into how leaders and the workforces in today’s companies are constantly evolving in order to do their best work. When not traveling the globe from her home base of Atlanta, Karan enjoys serving on numerous non-profit boards, planning intimate dinners with family & friends, critiquing movies, watching American football, and savoring a fine glass of chardonnay.

Publications:

• Lead at the Top of Your Game (2020)

Website: shockinglydifferent.com

When Jennifer Risher joined Microsoft in 1991, she met her husband, and with him became an extra-lucky beneficiary of the dot-com boom. By their early thirties, they had tens of millions of dollars. Today, there are millions of people like her. Jennifer’s thought-provoking, personal story includes the voices of others in her demographic and explores the hidden impact of wealth on identity, relationships, and sense of place in the world. At a time when income inequality is a huge problem, our country’s economic system is broken, and money is still a taboo subject even among those closest to us, this engaging, introspective memoir is essential reading: a catalyst for conversation that demystifies wealth and inspires us to connect.

Publications:

• We Need To Talk: A Memoir About Wealth (2020)

Naseem Rochette is a seasoned sales leader and speaker on trauma and transformation. She has more than twenty years of experience across both early-stage and established companies, including Ernst & Young, Google, and Microsoft. She holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia University and an MBA from Rutgers University.

In May 2018, when Naseem Rochette was working at Microsoft, she was hit and then run over by a car three times. “The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over” is a memoir centered around that moment, what she learned and why she thinks it was a magical accident. Naseem now celebrates the anniversary of the accident as a new holiday —Unbreakable Day.

Publications:

• The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over (2023)

Website: https://a.co/d/0ocNtth

Scott Rockfeld, a Senior Director of Marketing, left Microsoft after 18 years to pursue a number passions including writing. He recently published a series of children’s books called "Sports Stars: Astronomy for the Sports Fan in All of Us" which is a great way for a child (6-12) to read child-appropriate biographies about their favorite athlete and enjoy the hand drawn illustrations. And then, if they feel adventurous, they can go outside and find the athlete outlined in the stars as a constellation in the night sky which is why readers have called them "the perfect blend of sports and science". The series includes the Top NFL QBs Edition, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Edition, and the Top NBA Players Edition.

Publications:

• Sports Stars: Astronomy for the Sports Fan in All of Us (Top NBA Players Edition) (2020)
• Sports Stars: Astronomy for the Sports Fan in All of Us (U.S. Women's Soccer Edition) (2020)
• Sports Stars: Astronomy for the Sports Fan in All of Us (NFL QB Edition) (2020)
  

Website: sportsstars.net

To laymen ‘science’ and ‘research’ seem amorphous things, mysterious activities by lab-coated acolytes that somehow yield knowledge of our world. This book breaks them down into a clear model of the activities involved, then uses that model to explain why science is separated into disciplines, how those disciplines are shaped by their different subject matter, and finally how researchers choose what they do.

Frederick J. Ross received a classical education from his parents while growing up in the wilds of Virginia, then worked in physics, mathematics, microbiology, and statistics in the US and Europe before leaving academia. He has played violin for twenty some years, written some fiction, and apparently annoyed a lot of people. Now he lives on an island in the Salish Sea with his wife and children.

Publications:

• Into the Sciences (2015)

Website: madhadron.com

Dr. Laurel Ross is the Founding Principal of Our Imagined Life: a company dedicated to the belief that each of us has within everything we need to lead successful and happy lives. She has been consulting individuals and organizations for the past 15 years. She helps people around the world achieve their goals and live joyful lives. She is a teacher, facilitator and soul-whisperer, blending her academic background of literature with her corporate expertise. She has pioneered a set of tools which helps people move through their self-limiting stories and choose love over fear. Her clients achieve their goals: whether they want to lose weight, find a new career, or heal a broken relationship.

In private life, Laurel lives with her husband, Dan, enjoying outdoor activities, staying healthy and playing music. She has one son. Through all the lessons of her life, she has held to one simple truth: when we choose love over fear, we heal the broken heart of the world.

Publications:

• The Truest Things I Know: 5 Simple Lessons for Choosing Love over Fear (2014)
• Integral Leadership: The Next Half-Step (2013)

Website: ourimaginedlife.com

Jason Sacks has been obsessed with pop culture for longer than he'd like to remember. He considers himself a student of comics history and loves delving into obscure corners of this crazy artform. Jason has been writing for Comics Bulletin for nearly a decade, producing over a million words of content about comics, films and other media. He has also been published in a number of publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes, The Flash Companion and The American Comic Book Chronicles. He lives in north Seattle with his wife and three kids.

Publications:

• Jim Shooter: Conversations (2017) edited by Jason Sacks, Eric Hoffman & Dominick Grace

More about the book: www.upress.state.ms.us/books/2018

George A. Santino has been a fast food manager, life insurance and liquor salesman, shoe repair owner, real estate investor, software engineering manager, recording artist, and Microsoft partner, as well as most recently a professional speaker and author.

Publications:

• Get Back Up: From the Streets to the Microsoft Suites (2016)

Website: georgeasantino.com

Gavriella Svchuster spent more than 25 years at Microsoft, her last role as Channel Chief. While at the company, Gavriella was a change agent for gender equity at Microsoft and beyond to the channel ecosystem. She left in 2021 to focus on helping others become allies within their own ecosystems. Her e-book “BeCOME ALLIES” shares framework for great allyship and gives practical ways for people to get started.

Publications:

• BeCOME ALLIES: A framework for change (2022)

Website: gavriellaschuster.com

Steven Sinofsky, former President of the Windows Division was responsible for the development and marketing of Windows, Internet Explorer as well as online services such as Outlook.com and SkyDrive. Steven currently serves as a board partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Publications:

• Hardcore Software: Inside the Rise and Fall of the PC Revolution
• One Strategy: Organization, Planning and Decision Making (2009) by Steven Sinofsky and Marco Iansiti

Website: medium.learningbyshipping.com

This book with co-authored with 22 Entrepreneurs including the internationally acclaimed speaker and author Brian Tracy. This book is written from the perspective of the different authors explaining how to apply business principles to improve one's professional career and personal life. Some of the topics covered in the book are: a. Finding the courage to Lead in business b. How to address fear c. How to drive organisational change d. Role of Vision in business and in personal life e. Ability to reinvent one self and business f. Development Mental Toughness and Persistence to succeed

Publications:

• The Will to Win (2018) by Suleiman Shaibu, Brain Tracy, and Nick Nanton
  

Website: suleimanshaibu.com

Dan Shapiro is the CEO of Glowforge, the 3D laser printer and most-backed crowdfunding campaign in history. Dan's been featured on NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and on the front page of the New York Times. His game, Robot Turtles, can be purchased everywhere from Amazon to Target to MOMA. He is a mentor for the Founder's Institute, 500 Startups, Highway 1, and Techstars. He has been awarded a lucky thirteen patents, and received his B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. He lives in Seattle with his wife and twins.

Publications:

• Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook (2015)

Paul is the Founding President of Social Venture Partners International (SVPI) and was the Executive Connector of SVP Seattle for 17 years. With insights from this unique vantage point, he is the Northwest’s leading expert on activating social change agents and a global thought leader on how individuals can be the most effective philanthropists.

In previous careers, Paul was group manager for worldwide operations at Microsoft Corporation and developed a group of 22 direct marketing professionals and implemented a direct marketing infrastructure. Prior to his work at Microsoft, Paul was a Product Manager at Nestle USA in Glendale, CA.

Publications:

• Taking Charge of Change: How Rebuilders Solve Hard Problems (2021)  
• Can't Not Do: The Compelling Social Drive that Changes our World (2015)

Website: paulshoemaker.org

Thea Singer Spitzer, founder of Critical Change LLC, has been a consultant, strategic advisor, and coach to executives, leaders, and organizations for nearly 30 years (including 16 years with Microsoft). Her expertise in collaboration is a union of company need and her own passion. She has helped companies achieve so much more by fostering a culture where employees work better together, and helping people do things in ways that make the most sense for today and tomorrow. Thea has received accolades and awards for her work. She resides in and works from the San Francisco Bay Area. Read our profile of Thea here.

Publications:

• The Power of Collaboration: Powerful Insights from Silicon Valley to Successfully Grow Groups, Strengthen Alliances, and Boost Team Potential (2017)
  

Website: critical-change.com

When Jill Sitnick sat on her therapist’s couch trying to stop the panic attack that had lasted for months, she didn’t know she would eventually heal her deeply embedded childhood trauma with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. At age 49, she was diagnosed with PTSD. But after three medically supervised MDMA journeys, with a dash of psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) in the third journey, she no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis. She had a new hope for the future she had never felt before. She invites you to her year-long healing process and brings you along as she prepared for her journeys, chatted with her guides while medicated with psychedelics, and did the integration work to release the trauma her body had held for years. Jill shares some of her most painful childhood memories and how she released the fear those memories held over her for decades. In this candid memoir, Jill shows you why it took a year, and multiple journeys, to fully heal. By describing how MDMA let her view her father’s beatings and mother’s suicide attempts from her adult perspective, she gives you a front-row seat into how psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy healed her trauma and transformed her life.

Publications:

• Rescuing Jill: How MDMA with a Dash of Mushrooms Healed My Childhood Trauma-Induced PTSD (2022)
  

Website: amazon.com

When you see a clever smartphone app or a revolutionary solution to a problem, do you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?" Although this is quite a common question, have you ever noticed that nobody ever provides a good answer? How many times do we hear that we must be more creative? Are we ever told how to accomplish this? As comedian Steve Martin asks in one of his acts, “How do you become a millionaire?” His answer: “First get a million dollars. Then…” Of course, if you don’t know how to take his first step, then you’re pretty much out of luck. Flex Thinking offers a step-by-step guide to achieving this creativity, something that is so necessary in these changing times, both for personal success and for the wellbeing of our planet.

Tom worked at Microsoft for 14 years. Read our profile story on Tom here.

Publications:

• Flex Thinking (2021)
  

​Robert Stackowiak was Data and Artificial Intelligence Architect and Technology Business Strategist at the Microsoft Technology Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He regularly conducts executive briefings, business discovery workshops, and technology architecture sessions with many of North America’s most leading-edge companies across a variety of industries and with government agencies. Robert joined Microsoft in May 2016 after a 20-year career at Oracle where he was most recently Executive Director of Big Data. 

Publications:

• Azure Internet of Things Revealed (2019)
• Remaining Relevant in Your Tech Career (2018)
  

Microsoft alum Jerome Stewart is a writer, photographer, outdoor sports devotee, and technology enthusiast. He lived overseas for six years, including two as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. Jerome now lives in Mill Valley, California with his wife Alice, and their two children, Charlie and Holland.  

Publications:

• From Mountains to Morales, Stories of Bolivia (2020)
  

Jeff was a performance and reliability engineer focused on Microsoft technologies. He is a specialist in ETW trace analysis and is knowledgeable in performance, reliability, virtualization / VDI, and deployment.

He is currently working on data science related projects. (Azure, R, Streaming Analytics, HDInsight, Python, etc).

Publications:

• Windows 10 for Enterprises Administrators (2017)
  

Risa Suzuki is a certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant who is committed to creating healthy spaces by testing and clearing EMFs and toxins from our everyday indoor environments. Prior to developing her own EMF sensitivities and becoming a Building Biologist, Risa enjoyed a successful career at Microsoft spanning more than twenty-five years. She knows firsthand the importance of balancing how we use technology and managing our health when it comes to EMF radiation.

Publications:

• What the EMF? (2019)

Dr. Alaina Talboy earned her PhD in Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology from the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on how people reason through situations that involve complicated information, and how that drives their decision making. After completing her degree, she successfully transitioned to industry where she continues learning and applying her skills in various research-focused roles. Alaina worked at Microsoft for two years as a design researcher

Publications:

• What I Wish I Knew: A Field Guide for Thriving in Graduate Studies (2022)
  

Website: alainatalboy.com

Tanja Tatomirovic is a former communications director at the Microsoft Development Center in Serbia and is the author and co-publisher of “Mussolini's Microphone - Radio Propaganda in Fascist Italy.”

Mussolini's Microphone is a book about the role of radio in the rise of Fascism in Italy under the rule of Benito Mussolini. The book examines how Mussolini and his regime used the new medium of radio to spread their message and gain support among the Italian people. It also looks at how the radio was used as a tool of propaganda and control and how it helped to shape public opinion in support of the Fascist regime. The book also covers the technical and political aspects of the radio under Mussolini's regime.

Publications:

• Mussolini's Microphone - Radio Propaganda in Fascist Italy (2011)

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/book-mussolini/

Tarun Telang is a hands-on technologist with 17 years of expertise in architecting and developing business applications for companies that include Microsoft, Oracle, Polycom, and SAP. He’s also penned several books. In his latest, a collaboration with Moisés Garcia, he shows you how to build Java-based microservices architecture using the popular Spring Boot framework by evolving a small monolith application to an event-driven architecture composed of several services.

This third edition has been updated to cover Spring Boot 3, including its compatibility with Java 17 and Jakarta EE 10, and employs an incremental approach to teach the structure of microservices, test-driven development, and common patterns in distributed systems such as service discovery, load balancing, routing, centralized logs, per-environment configuration, and containerization.

Publications:

• Learn Microservices with Spring Boot 3: A Practical Approach Using Event-Driven Architecture, Cloud (2023)
  
• Java EE to Jakarta EE 10 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach for Enterprise Java (2022)
  
• Beginning Cloud Native Development with MicroProfile, Jakarta EE, and Kubernetes: Java DevOps for B (2022)

Website: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ATarun+Telang&s=relevancerank&text=Tarun+Telang&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2

Don't walk past that pork shoulder on sale because you think we could never eat all that. If there are one or two people in your house, it can be difficult to use all that leftover pulled pork, which is why Drew Thompson wrote “Leftovers by Design.”

Drew is an IT engineer by day and an aspiring chef by night. He even has his own food site, Cut Cook Eat.

In his cookbook, Drew helps readers prepare large pieces of meat knowing they have more excellent recipes in the wings. “Leftovers by Design” shows people the best method to cook gammon, beef, pork and chicken with pressure cooking or sous vide cooking, following up with delicious recipes to utilize all your work in the best way. With the popularity of Instant Pot, pressure cooking and sous vide cooking is within the reach of everyone.

Publications:

• Leftovers By Design (2021)

Website: http://www.cutcookeat.com/LeftoversByDesign/

Monique Thompson is a certified Executive, Leadership & Life Coach, business and technology executive, and patient & family rights advocate. She is a native of Washington State and the mother of two college students.

Although she is not a clinician, during her husband's three-year medical journey, she became an expert on the ins and outs of the medical world and the challenges of being an effective advocate for loved ones.

Monique served three terms on the University of Washington Medical Center's Ethics Committee as a Patient and Family Advisor. She also is a consultant for the Institute for Patient & Family Centered Care. She speaks at conferences, hospitals, and medical organizations throughout the nation providing insight and recommendations to clinicians, patients, and their families on the benefits and methods of effective clinician and patient collaboration. For more information or to book Monique for a speaking engagement, please visit her website at: vantagepointexecutivecoaching.com

Publications:

• The Ladder has Rungs (2019)
• BeeCause You Loved Me: The true story of how a simple bee sting crippled a man, upended family, shattered dreams, and taught everyone how true love can prevail. (1981)

Rob Tiffany is one of the world's leading experts in the areas of Enterprise Mobility and the Internet of Things. He's the bestselling author of five books on mobile architecture and development. Rob has shipped smartphones at Microsoft, co-founded the world's first cloud based, mobile device management company and brought unintelligent vending machines to life using M2M technologies during the early days of wireless.

Publications:

• Mobile Strategies for Business: 50 Actionable Insights to Digitally Transform Your Business (2016)
  
• Keeping Windows 8 Tablets in Sync with SQL Server 2012 (2013)
• Enterprise Data Synchronization with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server Compact 3.5 (2009)
• Windows Mobile Data Synchronization with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1 (2007)
• SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Framework (2003)
• Pocket PC Database Development with eMbedded Visual Basic (2001)
  

Oscar Trimboli spent 11 years as a director for Microsoft Australia before becoming a professional speaker and award-winning author. In “How to Listen,” Oscar shows you how to unlock your listening superpowers to have more impactful conversations at work and home. Through stories, exercises and tips, Trimboli shares insights to help you notice when you aren’t listening ― and what to do about it.

Publications:

• How to Listen (2022)
  
• Deep Listening (2017)

For decades, I focused on growing my career as a writer (my very first stint was writing comedy for a college radio show with my friend Tim Allen). After graduation, I bounced around at different jobs across the country - Michigan, Texas, Boston - having a good run writing for high-tech companies. 

But on my 50th birthday, I marched into my boss's office at Microsoft and told him "I'm quitting to become a magician."

It was quite the ride - with plenty of ups and downs along the way. I'm an excellent kidshow performer, but the magic of a successful business only became real after I discovered the power of direct response copywriting in the mold of Dan Kennedy, John Caples, and other copy greats. I extended my business to help other magicians successfully sell their services... through webinars, live events, and products.

Eventually, my success as a marketer and copywriter led me to join Dan Kennedy's company - GKIC - where for over three years I led the copy team as Head Copywriter. Now I provide marketing / writing services and counsel to a variety of clients in many different industries (www.YouDontNeedACopywriter.com). 

Publications:

• 101 Fast, Good, Cheap Hacks for Writing a KILLER Sales Letter (2017)
  

Website: jackturk.com

Michele L. Turner, MBCP, FBCI, CISA, CRISC, GRCP, has roughly 30 years experience in the areas of Governance, Risk, and Compliance, with a Masters of Science degree in Business Continuity from Norwich University. She currently leads as Global Sr. Director- Deputy Chief Continuity and Resilience Officer for Expedia Group. Prior roles include Head of Global Business Resiliency for Amazon Corporate, as well as Governance, Risk, Compliance and Business Continuity roles within Microsoft. Turner is an international speaker on the topic of Business Continuity, Risk Management, and related areas. She is a requested guest lecturer at the University of Washington, on such topics as Cyber Security and Operational Risk, and a Course Instructor and Board Director for Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII). She provides input as a Director of Giving within that orgs Foundation focus. Ms. Turner is a resident of Snohomish, Washington, and a very proud grandmother of two amazing grandsons.

Continuity and Resilience- two words that could track to the same destination albeit, varied in arrival time. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition for Continuity is: uninterrupted connection, succession, or union. Using this same resource, the definition for Resilience is: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. While an uninterrupted life, free of misfortune may sound wonderful, it is in the challenge, in the change, that we learn the greatest lessons. This book has been written with 51 years of personal life experiences, and an overlay of close to 30 years of professional subject matter expertise in managing the continuance of business operations across the globe, come rain...or shine. Both aspects have resulted in significant lessons learned... stories of continuity and resilience.

Publications:

• Lessons Learned: Short Stories of Continuity and Resilience Kindle Edition (2021)
  

Website: amazon.com

Would you choose closure or revenge? Anna Wodehouse, a.k.a. Carpenter Poole, is on her way north. With the long shadow of HALON receding in the distance like a fading nightmare, she heads to Vancouver hoping to find the closure that has eluded her. At the Canadian border she realizes that the closure she needs is nothing compared to the feeling of revenge when she discovers the man who set her up for murder, General Malik Palma, is in New York for an event at the United Nations. The questions that plague Anna get the better of her. Her anger towards Palma, the man she knew as Benson, gets the better of her and she decides to change direction. Did Marshall Wodehouse really abandon Anna 7 years earlier? What really happened to him? What is the mysterious project known as HALON? The ever-quickening decent of the roller coaster of Anna's life is speeding to its inevitable conclusion as she finds the dark answers she seeks.

Publications:

• Kidnapping Anna: The Montague Tubes (2017)
• Kidnapping Anna: ADX Florence (2017)
• Kidnapping Anna (2017)

Rishabh Verma is a Microsoft certified professional and works at Microsoft as a senior development consultant, helping the customers to design, develop, and deploy enterprise-level applications. An electronic engineer by education, he has 12+ years of hardcore development experience on the .NET technology stack. He is passionate about creating tools, Visual Studio extensions, and utilities to increase developer productivity. His interests are .NET Compiler Platform (Roslyn), Visual Studio extensibility, code generation and .NET Core. He is a member of .NET foundation.

Publications:

• Visual Studio Extensibility Development (2020)
• Parallel Programming With C# and .NET Core (2020)
• .NET Core 2 0 by Example (2018)

Website: rishabhverma.net

Lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the "Fabulous 50+1" most influential people impacting global commerce, author, educator and business consultant Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award-winning research and Vested® business model for highly-collaborative relationships.

Publications:

• Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy: Harnessing the Potential of Sourcing Business Models for Modern Procurement (2015) by Bonnie Keith and Kate Vitasek
• Getting to We: Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships (2013) by J. Nyden and Kate Vitasek
• Vested: How P&G, McDonald's, and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships (2012) by Kate Vitasek and Karl Manrodt
• The Vested Outsourcing Manual: A Guide for Creating Successful Business and Outsourcing Agreements (2011) by Kate Vitasek and Jacqui Crawford
• Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules That Will Transform Outsourcing (2010) by Kate Vitasek and Mike Ledyard
  

Website: vestedway.com

Andy Walker is a digital strategist and author of five books. He has appeared as a tech expert on zillions of TV and radio broadcasts in Canada and the U.S.

Publications:

• Super You: How Technology is Revolutionizing What it Means to Be Human (2016) by Andy Walker and Kay Svela Walker
• Windows Lockdown!: Your XP and Vista Guide Against Hacks, Attacks, and Other Internet Mayhem (2008)
• Microsoft Windows Vista Help Desk (2007)
• Absolute Beginner's Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses (2005)

Website: andywalker.com

Are you ready to make change happen?

Originally inspired by a desire to leave her daughters a lasting legacy, “WE the Change” emerged as an extraordinary roadmap for anyone yearning to transform their life, organization, or community. Merging her life-changing experience walking El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile medieval footpath across Spain, with thirty years as an organizational change and leadership consultant, Shannon Wallis offers readers an intimate and powerful, yet practical, way to authentically create what they want.

“WE the Change” encourages and guides you, step-by-step, through the challenging terrain that every woman faces when she's trying to launch something new. Through each chapter you will:

• Uncover and deepen your authentic vision
  
• Discover specifically what's standing in your way
  
• Learn practical tools to overcome obstacles
  
• Create a potent support system that keeps you moving forward

Publications:

• WE the Change: Launching Big Ideas and Creating New Realities (2021)

Website: https://a.co/d/8pyH60Q

Lewin Wanzer is a seasoned SharePoint architect with over 30 years of IT experience, of which he has spent 16 managing SQL Server and SharePoint environments. As an architect, he specializes in governance, planning, taxonomy, design, infrastructure, implementation, migration, maintenance, and support for SharePoint Enterprise and Microsoft Cloud environments. He also has expertise in IT management, business analysis, and process development, designing solutions and managing large projects, bringing together many years of hands-on experience and knowledge.

Publications:

• Implementing SharePoint 2019 (2020) 

Sharon Ward is an avid scuba diver. She was a PADI certified divemaster and has hundreds of dives under her weight belt. Wanting to share the joy and wonder of the underwater world, she wrote In Deep. She lives on the south coast of Massachusetts with her husband, Jack, and Molly, their long-haired miniature dachshund. Guess who’s in charge?

Publications:

• In Deep (2021) 

Website: amazon.com

Steven Wells grew up in Colorado and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. With an Engineering Degee, Steven set out for Seattle and the Boeing Company. After a long career in the high-tech industry, including Microsoft, Steve studied writing at the University of Washington and winemaking at South Seattle Community College, where he received a degree in wine production. He also holds an MBA from Seattle Univesity.

Steven has worked at a number of local Seattle wineries including DeLille Cellars. Though reds might be his favorite, he'd never turn down a glass of white Bordeaux.

While not writing, drinking wine, or walking his dogs, Steven is involved with a number of nonprofit organizations in the Seattle area, serving as board chair, volunteer, or consultant. He also likes to hike, bike, and swim.

Learn more about Steven here.

Publications:

• Yes Means Yes (2017) 
• Harvest Homicide: A China Connection (2014)
• Killer Cuvee: Winemaker Series (2012)
• Ginger's Story (2012)

Website: stevenmwells.com

Bill Wesse is a former cold war USN submariner, a software mechanic (27 years with Microsoft), an occasional and erratic writer, and an advocate for people affected by mental illness. He detests whole wheat paper napery, and lives in Matthews, NC with his wife Lyn and several rescue cats. He’s also a former partner at Main Street Rag and has had his work published by Iodine Poetry Journal, Independence Boulevard, and Thrift.

Publications:

• Rebus Mundi (2009)

Alonda Williams is a wife and mother of two. In her work and public service, she has seen first hand the damaging effects of poor self-esteem and negative self-concept. As a parent, Alonda has worked hard to build strong character in her young children.

Penny and the Magic Puffballs, Alonda's first book started as a bedtime story for her children. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, her young daughter was often the only African-American girl in her school. While she had many friends, she often felt singled out because she looked different than all of her friends. Little girls often notice hair as one of the first areas of difference. Seeing this difference as bad can lead to a poor self concept. She used the story as a way to help her young daughter learn to love her hair and to be comfortable in her skin. After seeing how Penny helped her daughter, she wanted to share the stories with other little girls. 

Alonda is thrilled to be able to share the empowering message of Penny and the magic puffballs with girls all over the world. 

Publications:

• Penny and the Magic Puffball - My Friend Roxie (2015) 
• Penny and the Magic Puffballs: The adventures of Penny and the Magic Puffballs (2013)

Website: alondawilliams.com

Joseph Williams is the ICT Sector Lead for the State of Washington and was most recently the Dean of the School of Business, Government and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. A 20+ year veteran of the tech industry, Dr. Williams had a variety of technical and executive roles at COSS Technology Group, JD Edwards, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft. He is now active in the Unified Communications field and is associated with the UC Strategies group. Joseph is always noodling on how businesses can use technology for strategic advantage. He is working on trying to build informed public policy around the coming age of automation.

Publications:

• Windows NT Server 4: Concepts and Practices (1998) 
• Bots & Other Internet Beasties (1996)
• An Introduction to Computing Infrastructure: Hardware and Operating Systems (1996)
  

At age 35, John left his position as Director of Business Development for Microsoft’s Greater China region to found Room to Read. The business acumen honed there, combined with his passion and an unparalleled track record at changing the world, makes John a unique and inspiring leader and social entrepreneur.

Publications:

• Purpose, Incorporated: Turning Cause Into Your Competitive Advantage (2017) 
• Creating Room to Read: A Story of Hope in the Battle for Global Literacy (2014)
• Zak the Yak with Books on His Back (2010) by John Wood and Abin Shrestha
• Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children (2007)
  

Website: roomtoread.org

Top executives at Fortune 500 companies recognize Val as a global leadership and innovation expert and call her the growth accelerator. Executives say Val is unique because of her compassionate truth telling, fearlessness, and extensive experience working with creative, technical, and business leaders. With clients including Starbucks, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Financial Times, and DreamWorks Animation, Val unlocks innovation and accelerates growth for executives who are ready to hear what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. 

Val was recently inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant® Hall of Fame, one of only 64 people in the world so honored.

Val writes a regular column for Inc. Magazine on innovation. Val has also been quoted extensively on CNBC, Business Insider, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Reuters, LA Times, E-commerce Times, MSN, and Today. Val’s Blog was named one of the Top 50 Resources for Chief Operating Officers by ClickSoftware stating, “COOs should find Val’s Blog to be an invaluable resource for all things business.”

Val was an integral part of the Xbox leadership team during its transformational years in which the leadership and cultural evolution turned the business from a billion-dollar loss to a multimillion-dollar profit machine. She designed and facilitated an innovation program for Xbox where the first idea of Kinect was formed, where you controlled your Xbox with your voice and your hands. Kinect achieved a Guinness Book of World Record for the fastest-selling device of all time selling over 20 million devices. Val’s corporate experience includes driving global innovation and growth at Amazon, BMW, Microsoft, House of Fraser, Marconi, and Sema Group.

Val left England 11 years ago and now lives in California with her twin five year olds and seven year old daughters and husband. She holds her CrossFit Level 1 trainer certificate and finds incredible lessons from her workouts that can be applied so business leaders can repeatedly beat their business personal records.

Publications:

• Words That Work: Communicate Your Purpose, Your Profits and Your Performance (2022)
• Rapid Growth, Done Right: Lead, Influence and Innovate for Success (2020)
• Thoughtfully Ruthless: The Key to Exponential Growth (2016)

Website: www.wrightwordsthatwork.com

Lior Zoref is a crowd wisdom researcher, an international speaker, former Microsoft executive, and private consultant for crowdsourcing and digital strategy. He teaches crowdsourcing and digital marketing to MBA students and at the Israeli Marketing Association. He also gave the first ever crowd-sourced TED talk at TED 2012 in Long Beach, California. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science from the Technion and currently is a PhD candidate at Bar-Ilan University. He worked for fourteen years at Microsoft where his last role was Vice President of Marketing for Consumer and Online Services.

Publications:

• Mindsharing: The Art of Crowdsourcing Everything (2015)

Website: liorzoref.com