Meet the Minds Behind the Mic

Doug is a multi-faceted leader – CITO at Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI), a large Rochester, NY- based mental and behavorial health non-profit; Chair of the Supervisory (Audit) board at Visisions FCU, one of the largest credit unions in the USA; an elected member of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) Advisory Board, helping shape Internet number resource policy; and a builder of large-scale events in his community, helping found and build the LUMA Projection Arts Festival in Binghamton, NY. He has past experience in the IT consulting space, having ran, built, and sold successful IT service providers, and spent nine years as CIO in the municipal government space where he was a thought leader running statewide municipal leadership conferences for several years. He has a passion for helping people excel, and can regularly be found mentoring others and supporting colleagues. He loves to explore leadership and all its outlines with guests on the podcast, and he is known for asking deep and insightful questions to guests, helping to figure out what makes them tick as leaders and effectively distill the lessons they’ve learned to listeners, while drawing out insightful stories and history they would not otherwise have thought to share.

With over two decades of business technology leadership, Phil Howard's passion to bridge the gap between the language of business and technical geek speak led him to create Dissecting Popular IT Nerds. Phil's talent is showcasing good IT leadership. He's, "a natural when it comes to getting a technical person to talk about something other people will find interesting. His energy and naturally quick wit coupled with technical knowledge are the perfect combination for tech journalism." If you listen to Dissecting Popular IT Nerds long enough you will become an expert in the secrets of selling your digital transformation strategy to executive management. Phil has a rare skillset and ability to motivate others, something that pays both in dollars and cents, but more importantly time and project workload. Recognized throughout his career for being a visionary technology leader leveraging in-depth knowledge of the marketplace and the competitor landscape... Phil Howard has demonstrated a unique ability to significantly increase revenue for businesses over and over again. Married with 8 kids, Phil volunteers in his local community raising funds for non-profits, creating youth groups, and supporting the underserved. His passions are Surfing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Boating.

With 20 years experience in Information Technology, Michael has guided organizations to develop secure and stable enterprise systems using best practice design, proactive support and cost-effective, scalable architecture. His experience includes over 15 years in healthcare, which boasts some of the toughest security requirements. Michael has worked in leadership roles for over half of his career and is currently an IT Director in charge of Security and Privacy at his current position. He is self-motivated and team-focused, empowering his team and using performance-based management to improve their skills and increase company productivity. Michael has worked on IT due diligence for mergers and acquisitions ensuring that companies safely acquire and assimilate new technologies while controlling and reducing costs. His experience includes on-premise, co-located and cloud environments and has worked with teams from all over the globe. "A good IT team will keep the lights on, a great IT team will turn the lights off when they're not in use and save you some money." -Michael Moore

With twenty plus years in technology, a master's in business administration and fifteen years in the service industry. Mike has blended these experiences to help learn to speak to business leaders, provide coworkers customer service and solve technology challenges. Growing with the company he has been working with for the last two decades he has grown from managing a team of five IT people to a team of fifty, from three servers to over two hundred servers, twelve hundred support staff and eighteen hundred drivers not to mention the multiple lines of business the enterprise continues to expand into. Growing up in northern New Mexico in Los Alamos provided some unique experiences as did a childhood before there was a public internet. Standing in line to play the first arcade game of asteroids at the local super market Mike has seen some drastic changes and growth in the Information Technology industry. While his team actively uses DevOps methodologies in the current projects the team also works to learn how to show value and prove their worth to the business by producing financials, ROI's and change the perception that IT is a sunk cost of doing business. All of that will help the peers Mike interviews to have interesting conversations bringing insight to our fellows while enjoying a friendly discussion of Geeks versus Nerds, CIO's versus CTO's, iPhone versus Android, Mac, Windows or Linux?

Gabriel Howard works at Dissecting Popular IT Nerds, THE IT Podcast, where he identifies and qualifies top IT leaders to be featured on the show, and also connecting them with valuable resources and insights to enhance business scalability. In his personal time, Gabriel enjoys surfing, lifting iron, coffee, and exploring his passion for IT and Graphic Design.

Graduate in Computer Science and currently an IT professional in a Fortune 300 IT Leadership Program. With experience spanning IT support, system administration, and generative AI data analytics, Hussein is passionate about exploring innovative technology solutions. Now joining the podcast team to amplify voices from the IT world and share unique industry insights.

Fawad Hassanzadah is a data analytics specialist and marketing strategist with a passion for transforming complex data into actionable insights. With expertise in tools like Power BI, SQL, DAX, and Azure Cloud services, he has a proven ability to create intuitive dashboards, streamline data processes, and support data-driven decision-making. Over the years, Fawad has worked with both SMEs and global enterprises in roles that demanded technical proficiency, strategic thinking, and exceptional communication skills. Known for his collaborative approach and attention to detail, Fawad is committed to delivering impactful solutions that drive growth and efficiency for his clients.

coming soon!

Abdelmoula, a Front-End Developer with over 8 years of experience. Specializing in creating custom medium-sized to big projects, he has contributed on many advanced projects while working with the latest technologies like: Next JS - React JS Three JS . and also has a strong background with CMS like WordPress - Shopify and Webflow - his expertise lies in transforming ideas into visually appealing and user-friendly web applications.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐃𝐎: Recruit winning IT leaders to share their stories on the podcast, Dissecting Popular IT Nerds. I work as part of the technology revolution helping IT professionals grow the value of IT. The podcast is fully funded with a unique backend program to support IT leaders that is 100% free.

Darren Holmes is a Business Development Executive with a background in digital marketing and media outreach. At Dissecting Popular IT Nerds, Darren is responsible for engaging with potential podcast guests and prospects. He leverages a variety of communication channels—including social media, phone, and email—to build connections, while scheduling and leading introductory calls to showcase the podcast’s value. In addition, Darren helps IT leaders manage their businesses, offering guidance and support. With a focus on growth and relationship-building, Darren plays a pivotal role in expanding the podcast’s reach and impact. In his free time, Darren enjoys traveling and spending time with family.

Adam Dalmer is an economics graduate with a strong foundation in business and a budding interest in IT. With a passion for learning and problem-solving, he combines business expertise with a fresh perspective on technology.