I'm a Microsoft MVP now -- Thank You

I received an email earlier today telling me that I was awarded the MVP for directory services.

This is a really great honor and something I'm very proud of. I really enjoy working in the community and more importantly I enjoy learning from others too. I obviously didn't get to this point alone so I want to take some time to thank some key people that have helped me throughout my career.

Starting back in my Army days I can't say enough and thank those that serve. One of the best things I took away from my time in the Army was some of the good friends I made. So to Daryl, Will, and Todd thank you all. You all were like brothers during my time in and I'm proud to call you friends. Additonal thanks to Todd and all those currently serving during this time of war. Hoooaaaahhh!!

I had a few internships that got me in the door but my first real job was supporting a medium size agency in DoD. I really cut my teeth there and have to single out some folks there too.

First and foremost Kevin Buckman for being a great government manager. No way I'd be where I am today without Kevin's support during those early days. Thank you Kevin!! Honorable mention to Terri C. and Jim R.

Richard Guidorizzi -- thank you Richard for the second half of my DoD career at that agency. You really helped me more than you know and always believed in me and I'll never forget what you did. Honorable mention to Leslie Butler, a great senior manager and owner of the company I worked for.


Mark, David R., Garret, and Richard(again) - the discussions that we still have to this day are really great and I learn from each and every one of you. Definitely all friends for life


A great list of admins and engineers that I worked with at DoD:

Mark, David, Garret, Larry, Greg, Lili, Cesar, Kyle, Louis, Brian T, Stuart, Steve Mc, Alex, Guy, Todd, Steve B, Matt, Jeff H, Kevin D. and last but not least Rusty. I know I missed a lot of people but thanks to everyone there. We made it through a lot there including 9/11. I can still vividly remember watching the Pentagon burn. We will always be bonded by that experience.

Thanks to Keith, TJ, Ryan, Ditter, and John at my next agency. Not the most high speed job but at least I made some good friends. Did we pause the DEN yet haha

At my current job at Unisys there are a few key people that I definitely need to thank. Mark and Eric Jansen are on the top of that list. Really enjoyed the projects I worked on with them. It is so great to work with others that are good and know their stuff. We learned from each other and I think we made a solid and real impact for the agency we supported.

Thanks to the "geek network" Florian, Eric, Mark, Rich, Dave, Brian, and Troy B. We have some good discussions and I've learned a lot from all of you guys.

Thanks to everyone at Experts-Exchange. I hang out in the Active Directory section there and I've learned a lot and hopefully helped a lot of people too. Have to give thanks to some of the other top people over there. Chris Dent, Americom, bluntTony, TigerMatt, Laura Hunter, Brandon Shell, and Brian Desmond.

Thanks to other MVPs that I have learned from for years and years. Top of that list is definitely Joe Richards. Joe is just cool as hell and knowledgeable beyond belief. His tools are a huge part of what I do. I remember the first time I emailed Joe offline and he responded with a very long and thoughtful answer. He didn't blow me off or treat me like I was a pee-on. Thank you Joe for all your work in the community. I really look forward to meeting you at the MVP summit next year.

Other great MVPs that I'd like to thank. I've met some of you in person. Others I only know via email but Thanks to: Joe, Brian Desmond, Laura Hunter, Florian F., Jorge, Mark Minasi, and Darren Mar-Elia.

Thanks to the Directory Services team at Microsoft. Ned, Rob, and everyone else that writes for the AskDS blog. Really great blogs and thanks for what you all do for the community.

Last but not least my brother Andy...thanks Andy I would not be here without you man.

I know I probably forgot people but again I didn't get here alone and I'll continue with help and support from great people.

Ok now this blog entry is starting to sound like one of those rambling Oscar speeches. The red light came on 5 minutes ago and now I'm getting the hook...I've overstayed my welcome :)


Thanks

Mike