Jim Chirico is President and Chief Executive Officer of Avaya, Inc., which enables the mission critical, real-time communication applications of the world’s most important operations. He assumed his new role on October 1, 2017, after previously serving as Chief Operating Officer and Global Sales Leader.

Jim brings depth of experience and consistent results as a business and operational leader in the technology industry, successfully leading teams in sales, worldwide operations, manufacturing and development. Since joining Avaya in 2008, he has been instrumental in the development of the company’s industry-leading business model, including record EBITDA performance, gross margin expansion and best-in-class Net Promoter Score.

In his previous role as COO, Jim was responsible for Global Sales, Global Operations, Human Resources and Quality. Jim optimized Avaya’s global business processes, stabilized sales and has led the company’s effort for Chapter 11 Emergence. In addition, he drove cross-functional alignment of key initiatives, including integration of all acquisitions and enterprise restructuring efforts.

Jim joined Avaya in January 2008 from Seagate Technology, where he was Executive Vice President, Global Operations, Development and Manufacturing. At Seagate, he led a team of more than 50,000 employees located in 14 facilities worldwide, successfully driving step-function change in the operational effectiveness of the organization.

Jim began his career at IBM in 1980, progressing through line leadership and corporate assignment positions to become a Site General Manager and WW Manufacturing Leader. He received a B.S. in Marketing from Providence College in Rhode Island.

Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales and Delivery where he is responsible for sales and delivery of product and professional services across all customer segments, both direct and partner-led.

Frank joined Avaya in 2019 with more than 25 years of sales and engineering experience. Prior to joining Avaya Frank led the Advanced Solutions unit at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, a group inclusive of Verizon's global Collaboration, Customer Experience and Security practices. In his 16 years at Verizon and several years at ATT, Frank held various VP roles in strategy, business development and operations in the Enterprise space.

Frank holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College and a Masters of Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Anthony Bartolo is Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer. He is responsible for driving Avaya’s leadership through its product portfolio, which includes oversight of product development, product management, emerging technologies and corporate strategy across the company’s premise and cloud-based Unified Communications, Contact Center and Collaboration solutions.

Anthony returned to Avaya as an accomplished, proven communications industry and product leader with a career spanning nearly three decades. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Tata Communications Limited and in senior executive roles previously at Avaya and Nortel.

Anthony received his Bachelor of Engineering degree with Honours from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Gaurav Passi is President of the Cloud Business Group. He is responsible for further accelerating the company’s delivery of cloud communications solutions and driving continued momentum to grow market share in UCaaS and CCaaS worldwide.

He joins Avaya from Five9, where he was Executive Vice President, Products and Technology, and spearheaded the development, modernization and growth of the company’s cloud offering. He previously held senior leadership positions with P&L responsibility and overseeing product strategy and execution at Deutsche Telekom Hosted Business Services, Amdocs Inc. and Ciena Corporation.

Gaurav holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Financial Management from Panjab University, an MBA from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad and a Master of Science in Computer Science from California State University, East Bay.

Karen Hardy is the Vice President of Product Marketing & Solutions at Avaya. She has been with Avaya since 2011 and has served in both Product Marketing and Product Management leadership roles and is currently responsible for developing solution definitions, messages and content that inspire new and existing customers looking for unique customer experiences, team collaboration and digital transformation engagements.

Karen enjoys spending time listening and talking to customers, partners and speaking with industry analysts. She brings over 20 years of experience in the contact center and customer experience industry and prior to Avaya led product marketing and management teams at Alcatel-Lucent/Genesys and Aspect Communications

David Chavez is a Vice President responsible for Architecture for Avaya as well as leading Innovational projects, a 53 year-old Systems Architect with 30 years of professional experience. He credits his exceptional track record of innovation to “creativity and enthusiasm in my approach to solving problems.”

His contribution has been recognized by 91 US patent awards, with many more pending. David received a B.S. in computer Science and Mathematics from New Mexico State University in 1987 and an M.S. in Mathematics from Colorado State University. Additionally, David supplemented his education with Executive coursework at Stanford Graduate School of Business in corporate strategy.

David was responsible for Avaya’s award winning and market leading IP Communications architecture, and the creator of Avaya’s Next Generation Aura™ architecture launched in 2009, and also the Avaya Mobile Experience launched in 2018.

David has received numerous professional awards including the Avaya Leadership Award, Avaya’s “Leading Edge Innovators” Award, AT&T’s Partner of Choice Award, the Lucent International President’s Award, and the Lucent GROWs Award for his commitment to personal development and the development of others. Additionally, David is a multiple nominee for MIT’s Lemelson Award for Innovation. And a 2013 recipient of the Thomas Alva Edison award.

The products he developed have won many awards, including “Product of the Year” from Network Magazine and “best new business phone system” from Communications Convergence.

Marilyn Shuck is the current Board President, IAUG. and has been active with IAUG for more than eleven years. She has been actively involved in chapters, chairing various committees, and planning the annual conference.

She has worked in the telecommunications industry for over twenty-five years designing and implementing innovative technology. Marilyn currently works as a UC Network Engineer at the University of Washington. The university just completed a project migrating over 25,000 endpoints to SIP this will allow the campus to integrate with current and emerging technologies.

Colleen Jamieson is Executive Director of the International Avaya User Group (IAUG). Prior to assuming this position, Colleen has supported IAUG in various capacities over the past several years, including being responsible for membership, events and program planning and execution, operations management and annual strategic planning.

She has worked with technology associations and user groups for over ten years.

Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Earvin “Magic” Johnson has successfully parlayed his skills and tenacity from the court into the business world as Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE). MJE provides high-quality products and services that focus primarily on ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities.

Still a commanding presence in popular culture, Johnson made history in 2012 when he became co-owner of MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers. He also co-owns the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club, and eSports franchise Team Liquid. He continues to expand his influence through his many businesses that include: EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and SodexoMAGIC, a food service and facilities management company.

The Lansing native is constantly evolving and remaining relevant in a dynamic digital age by broadening his scope into infrastructure and technology. Through a newly formed fund, Johnson is investing millions of dollars on infrastructure improvement in the United States. He is also one of the leading investors in a number of minority-owned technology companies that include Uncharted Power, an award-winning power and data infrastructure technology company; ShotTracker, a company that makes wearable technology for basketball players that helps track player and ball movement; Jopwell, a diversity and hiring recruiting platform; Walker & Co Brands, a company that develops health and beauty products for people of color; and MiTú, the Latino-fueled media brand and digital network that connects thousands of Latin content creators with viewers around the world.

Recently named by Fortune Magazine as one of the Top 50 World’s Greatest Leaders, a recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award and listed as one of the world’s most influential creative people by The Creativity 50’s, Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic, inspirational innovation. As a career producer and filmmaker and now founder and CEO of Not Impossible, Ebeling harvests the power of technology and story to change the world.

Ebeling founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of “commit, then figure it out” allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers and thinkers to create devices that better the world by bringing accessibility for all. This unconventional approach brought to life highly acclaimed initiatives -- the EyeWriter, Project Daniel, Don’s Voice and most recently Music: Not Impossible -- that brought the ability to draw back to a paraplegic street artist, 3D-printed arms to Sudanese amputees, a ‘voice’ to an ALS patient who hadn’t spoken in 15 years, and wearables that let deaf and hearing people alike feel music in a “surround body” experience.

Working with a wide array of Fortune 500 companies, Ebeling not only pushes the bar on innovation, he also shares the emotionally resonating story of doing so. These narratives of overcoming seemingly impossible odds to “Help One. Help Many” have inspired people across the world to do the same.

Ebeling’s book, Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done, recounts the life experiences that led to the founding of Not Impossible. Published in a multitude of languages, the book was hailed as “a unique and inspiring tale of brave abandon” by Nicholas Negroponte.

Named one of Wired’s ‘Agents of Change’, a two-time SXSW innovation of the year award winner, a two-time Tribeca Disruptor innovation winner, a fellow with The Nantucket Project, and recipient of every major creative and advertising award, Ebeling is on a mission to provide “Technology for the Sake of Humanity.” By tapping into a community of passionate and talented engineers, makers, idea generators and storytellers, Ebeling is making the inconceivable, the unbelievable and the impossible, Not Impossible.

Simon Harrison is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, leading the global marketing function to engage new and existing customers and partners, drive adoption of the company’s software solutions and support Avaya as the leading player in a dynamic digital communications market.

Simon joined Avaya in 2020 from leading research and advisory firm, Gartner, where he was research director and lead analyst for the Unified Communications and Contact Center market. In a career spanning over 25 years he has been a thought leader, product strategist, marketer and consultant in the communications solutions industry. Prior to Gartner, he held leadership roles in Marketing, Sales, Product Marketing and Product Management for companies like Cirrus, Vocalcom, Siebel Systems and others.

Tara is a proven expert in technology that solves the productivity challenges, data integrations, and digital transformations health systems are facing globally. She works closely with healthcare administrators, frontline practitioners, and IT leadership to define requirements, deliver design, and roll out tailored solutions.

Steve Forcum, an Avaya sales engineer, can explain complex technology in simple terms. Forcum is a trusted advisor to many of the largest businesses in New England and beyond. He has developed a platform of engagement, interacting with customers, partners, and other followers on all forms of social media.

Drew Kraus is a VP Analyst covering SaaS-based solutions, contact center and customer experience as a member of Gartner's Customer Service and Support Technology team. Mr. Kraus is at forefront of research focusing on Contact Center as a Service, CRM Customer Service and Support and Conversational Platforms. He has more than 32 years of experience working in the enterprise communications solutions field, including more than 21 years at Gartner.

Mr. Kraus advises Fortune 500 companies, working with contact center planners and decision makers throughout the planning, buying, operations and solutions replacement life cycle. In support of technology and service providers, he provides strategic guidance in product development and positioning, as well as identifying new market opportunities and developing go-to-market strategies. Mr. Kraus resides in Boulder, CO, enjoys hiking the globe and is an avid home-brewer.

Natalie Keightley is the Solutions Marketing Director for the International theatre at Avaya and is based in Guildford, UK. In this role, Natalie is responsible for developing and rolling out solution value propositions, messaging, programs, and content specific to the needs of customers and partners in the region. Prior to this, Natalie held a number of positions at Avaya and Nortel including Solutions Marketing Lead for Avaya’s Customer Experience Management portfolio, Global Product Marketing Leader for Nortel’s Contact Centre portfolio as well as Services Marketing Director for Nortel’s Global Services group in EMEA.

Natalie’s 25 year career in IT and Telecoms has focused on helping businesses deploy IT and Communications solutions to achieve business results and covers business analysis, strategy development, product marketing and IT consulting.

She holds an MBA from Henley Management College, UK, and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours from the University of the Witwatersrand, RSA.