by A little over a year ago, I ran into a problem that I wanted to discuss with some local IT professionals to see what see what their experience had taught them. I searched around and eventually stumbled across LOPSA, only to discover that a local chapter didn’t exist.
Inspired by the organization’s mission, I took the opportunity to develop a local chapter. I reached out to LOPSA members William Bilancio and Matt Simmons and with their guidance and the support of co-founder Ryan Frantz, the Baltimore/DC Chapter of LOPSA – also known as “The Crabby Admins” – was founded.
Now, just over one year since we started, the Crabby Admins has grown steadily. I’ve worked to cultivate a strong community of practice through insightful guest speakers, the maintenance of active discussion within the group, and recently, aligning ourselves with other local user groups to promote growth and to discover what has been working for others.
This experience has provided me with a unique perspective that I believe will be beneficial to LOPSA. If elected as a member of the board of directors, my primary goals will be to continue to grow membership, continue the development of the system administration network across the US and internationally, and strengthen LOPSA’s presence within the industry to better position ourselves to shape the future of system administration.
To further expand on these goals:
- Promote Membership Growth– It is important that LOPSA continue to grow its membership to increase its influence within the industry. Through coordinated efforts, we can channel our strength as an organization to promote growth domestically and abroad to ensure that LOPSA continues to cultivate a membership that we’re proud to be a part of.
- Continued Development of the Sys Admin Community – With the success of the LOPSA mentorship program, I would like to support additional initiatives which will promote sharing our stories and best practices, building upon our knowledge base, and nurture and expand our community so that we continue to be recognized as a leading organization within the industry.
- Strengthen LOPSA to Influence Change – Increasing the visibility of LOPSA through membership growth and a strong community presence, will position ourselves to be able to better advocate for the Sys Admin workforce and provide us the opportunity to establish and influence standards that will shape the course of our industry.
I truly believe LOPSA brings together some of the greatest minds in system administration and I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to interact with so many of you on a daily basis. At the end of the day, we are the ones that keep things running. I look forward to continuing to put forth every effort to ensure that LOPSA progresses to the forefront of the industry into a position where we can best influence our chosen profession.