Blaine Elzey

Blaine@BlaineElzey.com

Summary

·        30+ years in various leadership roles and disciplines motivating, coaching, and mentoring

·        20+ years experience in IT and systems engineering

·        Liaison and mediator within teams and across stakeholders

·        Multiple performance recognition awards across various industries and disciplines

·        Exceptional troubleshooting, expectation-setting, negotiation, and resolution skills

Experience

Senior Product Engineer at Nokia

October 2000 - Present

Perform significant contributions in the areas of: team leadership, product direction, customer support, presales/sales, lab configuration and maintenance, vendor relationships, professional services support, identifying and leveraging existing resources within and external to the business unit, investigation and proof of concept for new tools and technologies, and process improvements.

Responsibilities

·        Collaborate with multiple stakeholders to identify and define roadmap, product features, high-level and detailed requirements, architecture, design, and functionality for software and hardware deliverables

·        Maintain a current, technical understanding of the VitalQIP DDI and appliance products’ architecture, features, and functionality, to disseminate and demonstrate audience-appropriate information to internal and external stakeholders and customers ranging from technical engineering experts to executives

·        Guide hybrid-agile development and testing teams to release deliverables on time with the highest value and customer satisfaction by reviewing and influencing design and implementation, and resolving or guiding resolution of issues

·        Prioritize and make progress on multiple short and long term tasks concurrently, with minimal supervision

·        Establish positive leadership and approachability within the team, and effectively handle interruptions for help

·        Resolve time-sensitive customer escalations of a highly technical and complex nature, without direct access to the problem environment

·        Demonstrate willingness to quickly adapt, learn, and implement new technologies and integrations, with emphasis on cloud and automation

·        Ensure appropriate and timely security vulnerability assessment, action, and tracking across all supported product releases

·        Manage lab hardware and software installation, connections, resource usage, accessibility, and security

·        Consistently remain calm under pressure, drive goals to achievement, keep teams and meetings on topic and task, and foster innovation, empowerment, and cohesion within the team

Skills

·        20 years of experience in IT networking and services, focused on DDI and customer experience

·        Expert knowledge of, and experience with, DNS: protocols, server configuration, security, and related provisioning and integrations

·        High proficiency with IPv4/IPv6, Linux (Red Hat) administration, SNMP and system monitoring, Linux and Windows performance measurement

·        Adept at influencing and motivating diverse teams of engineers and decision-makers

·        Fluent in the use of Microsoft Windows and Office tools, packet capture tools, and application troubleshooting

·        General understanding of ENUM, NTP, DHCP, and DDI-related internet standards and RFCs

·        Familiarity with high-availability clusters, ANYCAST, SQL Databases (MariaDB and Sybase), Sybase Replication, Apache Tomcat

·        Comfortable with VMware, KVM, AWS EC2 and Route53, Azure VM and DNS, OpenStack, containers, Dell hardware, iDRAC, and OMSA

·        Able to review, troubleshoot, and debug java, C, python, shell script

Information Technology and Finance at Magnolias

January 2002 - December 2009

Implemented and maintained product, service and e-commerce website with YourPay integrated API. Created tracking, ranking, and reporting system for company web content. Maintained email system and automated daily and on-demand product feed updates. Initialized and maintained DNS, DHCP, email, web, database, and data backups. Completed and filed financial documents.

·        Design, build, and support Content Management System (CMS) and e-commerce system

·        Create and Maintain tracking and reporting system to protect copyrighted media

·        Created strategy and implementation for collecting customer data/preferences

·        Financial planning and reporting

4066, Computer systems specialist at United States Marine Corps

December 1996 - December 2000

Deployed and maintained hardware and software infrastructure: routers, switches, physical media, servers, applications, and backups. Evaluated and approved new products. Developed new processes and applications. Managed overall help-desk support operations for military base. Motivated and mentored junior team members. Secret level security clearance.

·        Led and coordinated base-wide migration to Windows NT, back-office services and desktops

·        Created web proxy configuration with database and custom, front-end access application

·        Migrated Access Database to MS SQL with new, custom front-end interface

·        Managed tape backups and migration to new CommVault backup solution

·        Subject matter expert for Windows networking and desktop support, including change management

Teller at WSFS Bank

February 1996 - November 1996

Handled routine deposit and withdrawal transactions in addition to marketing new products and services.

·        Responsible for individual cash drawer management.

·        Identity confirmation and counterfeit identification

Store Manager at Pizza Hut

September 1988 - November 1996

Ensured staffing, food, and location quality, and customer satisfaction.  Created a positive atmosphere for employees while ensuring customer satisfaction through constantly improving processes.

·        Responsible for maintaining KPIs and presenting P&L

·        Cultivated high-performance environment resulting in 50% operating profit.

·        Key role in the successful roll-out of the restaurant’s first delivery operation.

·        Assisted staffing for two additional are restaurants during management transitions.

·        Hiring, training, and motivating employees

Teller and Customer Service Associate at Mellon Bank

August 1995 - February 1995

·        Responsible for individual cash drawer management.

·        Identity confirmation and counterfeit identification

·        Backup associate for entire branch cash management and bulk

Handled routine deposit and withdrawal transactions in addition to marketing new products and services.

Skills & Strengths

DDI/IPAM, TCP/IP, IPv6, Linux, Solaris, Windows Server, System & Network Administration

HTML, PHP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, Python, Perl, shell/batch, Active Directory, Kerberos

Software Development, Software Engineering, Problem-solving, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Operational Efficiency, Agile & Waterfall Methodologies, Customer Satisfaction

Education

Widener University

Associate of Science, 2017

University of Maryland University College

Coursework in C++, 1998

James Groves

High School Diploma, General Studies, 1995

Interests

Youth and professional soccer, Disc golf, Technology, Theme parks

Recommendations

"Blaine Elzey possesses a rare combination of deep technical knowledge, enthusiasm for technology, and customer-friendly charm. Blaine's dedication to understanding new technology and quick development into the subject matter expert in ENUM was impressive. His expertise contributed immensely to product direction, sales opportunities, and participation in standards bodies. Whenever a problem popped up, Blaine was always available to help, from establishing a solution approach to the technical nitty-gritty of getting a DNS server configured and running. He's a great guy to work with--steps up and brings a sense of humor with him even in stressful situations."

— Dianne Blankenbaker, Systems Engineer, Lucent Technologies, worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine provided excellent support for me when I was a sales engineer supporting VitalQIP. He has strong technical knowledge, particularly in the IP address management and DNS areas. Blaine is able to communicate highly technical information in an understandable way, a skill he used not only internally but also in customer-facing situations. He demonstrated the creativity required to design solutions that solve specific customer problems. I highly recommend Blaine."

— Lynn Hunt, Sales Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"I have worked with Blaine for over nine years and have had numerous opportunities to interface with him closely in some very critical situations. I have always been very impressed with his professionalism and his technical expertise. He has demonstrated an ability to quickly grasp a technical situation and is able to communicate options and alternatives in an easily understood manner - even if the news is not necessarily good. This is extremely important in a customer environment that included high level decision makers. He has always been willing to help external teams be successful for the overall good of the business. He is a very bright individual that is an asset to any organization."

— Don Galaska, Technical Support Manager, Alcatel-Lucent, managed Blaine indirectly at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine Is one of the most innovative engineers that I have had the pleasure to work with. He is a focused problem solver whose work ethic and commitment to outstanding quality are unmatched. Blaine is always willing to take on the most challenging tasks and produces timely, first-class results whether working independently or collaboratively. I highly recommend Blaine and guarantee that he would be a valuable asset to any organization."

— David Schumacher, Senior Software Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked directly with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine was one of the most knowledgeable engineers I worked with at Lucent. He was the person I went to when I had technical questions that could not be answered by a Google search. Hope I get a chance to work with him again."

— Mike Morgan, Senior Software Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked directly with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine is a dedicated and detail oriented engineer. I always use Blaine as my resource for protocol level answers to issues that are beyond my scope. I value his technical expertise and ability to follow through to resolution any issues that cross his desk. He is a bright, motivated engineer that I am always happy to work

with."

— Alexis MacFarlane, Senior Software Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine is a technically savvy and progressive employee. He works diligently to stay on top of the latest technologies and IT methodologies. Blaine has proven himself to be extremely versatile in challenging IT environments. He is a wonderful asset to any company. I highly recommend Blaine."

— Luci Barnitz, Senior Information Product Developer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked directly with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"My first impression: Blaine had a strong knowledge of computer networking fundamentals and the drive to succeed. During the nine years that I worked with Blaine, I watched his knowledge blossom and his creativity flourish. Blaine's attention to detail and thoroughness have contributed directly to the success of our products by reducing defects and insuring quality. Blaine's determination and problem solving ability round out his extensive skill set. I have no hesitation or reservation with offering my recommendation of Blaine."

— Michael Dettinger, Senior Quality Assurance Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent, worked directly with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"While working in Support and as a QIP consultant I had several opportunities to work with Blaine. I found Blaine to be extremely knowledgeable and a real team player supporting me and my customers. When issues were found in the code, Blaine was able to find causes quickly and offer fixes in a timely manner. I would strongly recommend Blaine."

— Dean Gunther, Q-Agent/Pre-Sales, Alcatel-Lucent, worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine is always pushing the envelope. He increased efficiency at Lucent by automating many procedures. He takes the time to be wisely innovative and improve systems. When testing software, he is extremely thorough. I highly recommend Blaine."

— Sue Schearer, User Interface Developer, Lucent Technologies (Alcatel-Lucent), worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent

"Blaine is a dedicated, conscientious and extremely capable software engineer. As both a tester and developer, Blaine could be counted on to perform any task with complete confidence. He learned quickly and performed at a high level."

— David Langdon, Manager, Quality Control, Lucent Technologies (Alcatel-Lucent), worked with Blaine at Alcatel-Lucent