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Voting is now open for the COMMON 2024 Board of Directors election.
There are three open positions, and the Nominating Committee has put forward a Slate of three candidates for those open positions. Learn about each candidate below:
This year we are using an online election system to tabulate our votes. If you have an Active Membership, whether Individual or Corporate, then you are eligible to vote. You should have received an email with instructions and your unique link to cast your vote. If it’s a Corporate Membership, that email went to the person listed as the Main Contact of your membership.
Voting begins on April 22, 2024 at 5:00pm Central time and will end on May 22, 2024 at 5:00pm Central time. The new Board will be presented at the Meeting of the Members on Thursday, May 23rd at POWERUp 2024 in Fort Worth, TX.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Manzoor Siddiqui at msiddiqui@common.org.
Justin Loeber
Justin Loeber is the owner and CEO of Kisco Systems, a developer of IBM i security and compliance software. Kisco’s mission is to secure every IBM i by helping educate the IBM i community about security, continuously improving its products and delivering the best value in the market. Justin has been around the IBM midrange world since his father founded Kisco Systems in 1984. After a career in web applications and IT leadership, including several CIO roles, Justin joined Kisco in 2021 to refocus the company exclusively on IBM i security.
Manas Mishra
With nearly two decades of dynamic experience in Information Technology domain, Manas has consistently demonstrated his prowess in delivering innovative solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of global businesses. Currently serving as the Senior IT Manager at Ashley Furniture, a prominent member of COMMON and the world’s largest furniture manufacturer, Manas brings a wealth of expertise garnered across various industries including Retail, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Life Sciences, and Healthcare.
Throughout his career, Manas has been a driving force behind operational excellence, continuously striving for process enhancements and fostering strong collaborative partnerships across multifaceted teams. As a seasoned leader in IBM i management, he has adeptly navigated through local, remote, and cross-cultural environments, effectively maximizing productivity levels and ensuring seamless project execution.
Driven by a deep-seated passion for technology, particularly IBM i, Manas is dedicated to advancing the organization’s mission. He envisions leveraging his expertise and insights to engage, empower, and educate both the younger generation and IBM i veterans within the community. With a keen understanding of the evolving technological landscape, Manas aims to champion initiatives that blend the robustness of IBM i with modern-day applications and implementations, including the integration of open-source solutions. By blending the proven reliability and stability of IBM i with the agility and innovation of open-source technology, organizations can unlock new possibilities and achieve greater success in today’s digital landscape.
As a candidate for the COMMON Board, his goal would be to invigorate and empower the IBM i community by fostering an inclusive environment that embraces both seasoned veterans and the vibrant energy of the younger generation and drive some of the initiatives focusing on below key areas.
Youth Outreach Initiatives: Develop outreach campaigns targeting universities, colleges, and coding bootcamps to introduce students to the world of IBM i and its career opportunities.
Hackathons and Innovation Challenges: Host hackathons and innovation challenges that encourage participants to explore new ideas and solutions using IBM i technology, fostering creativity and collaboration.
Mentorship Programs: Launch mentorship programs that pair seasoned IBM i veterans with younger professionals, fostering skill development, networking, and career advancement.
Interactive Webinars and Workshops: Organize webinars and workshops focused on topics of interest to both experienced professionals and newcomers, encouraging participation and knowledge sharing.
He firmly believes that working together with other dedicated COMMON members, we can combine our skills and ideas to achieve greater growth and impact. Together, we stand poised to elevate the COMMON community to unprecedented levels, extending our reach and empowering an expansive network of IBM i enthusiasts and professionals.
Marina Schwenk
Marina started her career in January 2015 at Everbrite LLC in Greenfield WI after graduating from Gateway Technical College in May of 2014 with an Associate’s degree in IT Software Development. Marina worked for over nine years as a Senior Programmer Analyst/IBM i admin at Everbrite and is now a Senior Programmer/Analyst/IBM i admin at Innovative Software Solutions and her role consists of RPG, SQL, mobile development, IBM i administration and Java. Marina earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems Software Development from Bellevue University in June of 2017.
Marina is an IBM Champion, the President for the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (WMCPA) users group, a member of COMMON’S New to IBM i (N2i) committee, a COMMON board member, a member of COMMON America Advisory Council (CAAC), the COMMON board liaison for the COMMON America Advisory Council (CAAC), a private tutor in English and Programming for students at an associates or bachelor’s degree level, a public speaker on topics ranging from RPG, SQL, personal development, standards and unit testing. Marina was named a IBM fresh face (now Rising Stars) in 2019. She has also completed two open source projects the first is logging in RPG and IBMiUnit, a RPG unit testing framework.
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