Summary
Highly accomplished and results-oriented IT leader with 20+ years of experience driving successful digital transformation initiatives and optimizing IT operations for global organizations, including the United Nations. Proven ability to lead and manage high-performing teams, implement robust security measures, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Deep expertise in diverse infrastructure technologies (automation, AI Ops, virtualization, cloud, networking, storage, Windows, Linux, endpoint, mobile devices, and data center) and building cost-effective solutions. Consistently exceeds expectations, mitigates risks, and achieves significant cost savings and efficiency improvements. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive efficiency and improve customer experiences.
Experience
Independent Technology Consultant | Atlanta, GA | 2020 – Present
- Led digital transformation initiatives for 15+ clients, achieving an average 22% increase in operational efficiency and a 12% improvement in user adoption. For example, I partnered with a mid-sized healthcare provider to migrate their legacy on-premises infrastructure to a secure cloud environment (AWS), resulting in a 25% reduction in IT operational costs and a 15% increase in employee productivity.
- Developed and implemented data-driven strategies resulting in an average 18% increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS) and a 7% reduction in customer churn. For a fintech startup, I designed and implemented a comprehensive customer journey mapping exercise, identifying pain points and creating targeted onboarding materials. This resulted in a 22% increase in NPS and a 5% decrease in churn within six months.
- Provided expert guidance and project management support for 30+ technology projects, consistently delivering 97% on time and within budget. For instance, I managed the migration of a major e-commerce platform to a new cloud infrastructure (Azure), completing the project two weeks ahead of schedule and under budget, ensuring minimal downtime and a seamless transition.
- Forged strong, collaborative relationships with key decision-makers, leading to successful project alignment and exceeding client expectations. For a large non-profit, I built strong relationships with executive leadership, enabling successful alignment on strategic technology goals and delivering key digital transformation initiatives, which resulted in a 30% increase in their overall operational efficiency.
Program Manager / Solutions Architect / Technical Lead | United Nations | Various Global Locations | 2011 – 2020
- UNICC IT Operations Leadership: Served as the primary Technical Lead and Customer Focal Point for Global Critical Enterprise Communication Services, Public Cloud Integration, and IT Operations Support, delivering seamless and secure IT services for 50,000+ users across 300+ global sites. This involved navigating diverse political and technical landscapes and overcoming language and cultural barriers. Successfully managed projects for UN partner organizations, including UNDP, UNICEF, and UNWomen, resulting in improved operational efficiencies and positive global impact. Key accomplishments include:
- Spearheaded the migration of 12,000 users to Microsoft 365, resulting in a 28% reduction in IT support costs and a 15% increase in user satisfaction.
- Implemented robust security measures (multi-factor authentication, advanced threat protection), resulting in a 35% reduction in security incidents.
- Led the design and implementation of 5 custom applications, improving operational efficiencies by an average of 25%.
- Implemented proactive monitoring and reporting systems, reducing service outages by 55% and accelerating incident resolution times by 40%.
- Successfully completed data migrations of 20TB of critical data, processes, and archives to cloud-based solutions, ensuring data integrity and regulatory compliance (GDPR, HIPAA).
- Implemented automation capabilities for O365 hybrid deployments, reducing migration times by 30% and improving overall efficiency.
- Managed and optimized IT budgets, consistently delivering projects on time and within budget (98% success rate).
- Mentored and developed junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
Senior IT Operations Architect | Microsoft Support Consulting | New York City | 1995 – 2011
- Led Unified Communications migrations for 5 major MSG entities, achieving a 70% improvement in service delivery within 12 months.
- Provided on-site engineering and solutions design for the entire Microsoft stack, consistently exceeding customer satisfaction benchmarks and achieving an average customer satisfaction rating of 96%.
- Proficiently managed 15+ projects and teams, demonstrating strong time management and communication skills, and consistently delivering projects on-time and within budget.
Quantifiable Achievements
- Successfully migrated over 10,000 United Nations users to Microsoft Office 365, resulting in cost savings and improved operational efficiency.
- Led the development of FOBOS, an innovative customized solution for automating UN deployments, reducing deployment time and outages.
- Onboarded 500+ users to Dynamics 365, ensuring successful adoption and integration with other M365 applications.
- Managed 250+ virtual machines, 10,000+ identities, and 50+ applications across Azure environments, ensuring optimal performance and security.
- Achieved a 40% reduction in security incidents through proactive threat management and best practices implementation.
- Delivered 95% of projects on time and within budget, utilizing various methodologies and adapting to diverse project needs.
- Reduced service outages by 60% and recurring incidents by 50% through proactive monitoring, automation, and issue resolution.
Skills
- IT Operations Management: 24×7 incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), post-mortem reviews, service level agreements (SLAs), KPI definition and tracking, reporting, budget management, vendor management, team leadership, mentoring.
- Infrastructure Technologies: Automation (PowerShell, Ansible, etc.), AI Ops, virtualization (VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, Citrix XenApp, XenDesktop), cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP), networking (Cisco, SD-WAN), storage (SAN, NAS), Windows Server, Linux, endpoint management (Intune, etc.), mobile device management (MDM), data center operations.
- Microsoft 365 Expertise: Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Azure Active Directory, Intune, security features (ATP, DLP, etc.), migration strategies, hybrid deployments.
- Security & Compliance: ISO 27001, data security, access control, incident response, vulnerability management, security audits, compliance reporting (SOX, GDPR, HIPAA).
- Project Management: Agile, Waterfall, project planning, execution, risk management, budget management. Jira, Smartsheet, ClickUp.
- Communication & Collaboration: Cross-cultural communication, stakeholder management, building consensus among diverse teams, conflict resolution.
- Data Analysis & Reporting: Data mining, data visualization, reporting (Power BI, Tableau), KPI analysis, financial modeling.
Certifications
- PMP (Project Management Professional)
- PMI-ACP (PMI Agile Certified Practitioner)
- CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
- CISM (Certified Information Security Manager)
- ITIL v3 Foundation
- ISO 27001
- ISO 20000
- PRINCE2
Education
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Master of Public Health – MPH, Humanitarian Studies
MIT Sloan School of Management
Master of Engineering – MEng, Technology and Policy
South Carolina State University
Bachelor of Engineering (Dual-degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Additional Information
- Experience working across large, matrixed organizations, including global teams.
- Proven ability to travel up to 25% (international and domestic travel experience).
- Active participation in industry conferences and public speaking engagements.
- Passionate about leveraging technology to drive efficiency and improve customer experiences.
- Passionate advocate for using technology to empower communities and improve lives
Leadership and Social Impact
- Founder, Luthas Center for Excellence: Established a network dedicated to fostering collaboration and empowering women and children through leadership development programs.
- Board Member, Atlanta Youth Tech Initiative: Provide strategic guidance and support to a non-profit focused on closing the digital divide for underserved youth.
Contact Me
Dame Luthas
Alpharetta, GA 30004
dameluthas@gmail.com
