My Mission

I guide business and IT leaders to champion their AI transformation, translating complex technology into strategic roadmaps that accelerate innovation and drive measurable growth.

In my current role as System Operations Director at Dallas Baptist University, I serve as the lead trusted advisor for the university's cloud strategy, guiding senior leadership on how to best leverage technology. A key accomplishment was building and championing the business case for our cloud modernization, which led to a 300% increase in Azure consumption while significantly reducing our Total Cost of Ownership. I am currently leading our Generative AI adoption strategy, evaluating platforms like Azure OpenAI to enhance both student learning and operational efficiency.

This experience as an internal advisor builds on my earlier background in pre-sales and service delivery. As a Pre-Sales Project Engineer, I partnered directly with account executives to qualify customer needs, influence purchasing decisions, and support pipeline growth for small and medium business clients. My career has been about being the strategic liaison between business needs and technical solutions, and I am passionate about helping organizations achieve their most critical goals with Microsoft's Cloud and AI platforms.

My Approach

My approach is a comprehensive journey designed to translate business needs into tangible, evolving value. It’s a process built on three core pillars: translating the vision, orchestrating the execution, and catalyzing future growth.

First, I act as the Business Translator. This is where my business knowledge merges with my technical expertise. It all starts with listening intently to understand a client's core challenges and strategic goals. From there, I work to inspire a new vision and co-design a solution, building the business case and technical roadmap that serves as the blueprint for transformation.

Once the vision is clear, I become the Strategic Orchestrator. This is where I take full responsibility for delivering on our promises. Drawing on my project management background, I empower the team, manage resources, and ensure every milestone is met, helping the client realize value at each step. My focus is on flawless execution to build trust and ensure the final solution achieves its intended business impact.

Finally, a successful project is just the beginning. As the Growth Catalyst, I focus on the future. I help secure long-term stakeholder engagement by proving the initial project's success and identifying the next steps for a continued partnership. I believe in a cycle of continuous improvement, managing and optimizing what we've built to ensure we're always ready to launch the next initiative that will drive even greater value.

Proof of Value

Here are a few examples of how I've put my approach into action, delivering tangible results and driving transformation.

University-Wide Cloud Modernization

Situation: At Dallas Baptist University, we faced aging on-premise infrastructure that was costly and couldn't scale to meet our future needs. Leadership was interested in the cloud but needed a clear business case to justify the investment.

Task: My role was to translate the technical benefits of Azure into a strategic and financial plan, aligning our approach with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework to ensure a well-governed and successful migration.

Action: I led discovery workshops across departments to map our application portfolio. I then built a comprehensive business case with detailed TCO/ROI analysis and a multi-year roadmap, which I presented to senior leadership.

Result: The plan was approved, leading to a 300% increase in Azure consumption and a simultaneous reduction in our Total Cost of Ownership. We successfully modernized our core infrastructure, increasing agility and security across the university.

Identity and Access Management - Modernization

Situation: The process for creating and managing user accounts was manual, relying on a series of disconnected scripts. This was inefficient, prone to error, and created security risks.

Task: My objective was to orchestrate the development and delivery of a modern, automated solution that would streamline the entire user account lifecycle.

Action: As the project leader, I orchestrated a team to design and build a new system using modern web applications in Azure with Python and FastAPI. I managed the project from conception to deployment, ensuring we removed roadblocks and delivered a secure, reliable solution.

Result: We successfully replaced the legacy scripts with a robust, cloud-native application. This dramatically improved operational efficiency, reduced manual errors, and enhanced our security posture by standardizing the account management process.

Driving the Adoption of Generative AI

Situation: With the rapid advancements in Generative AI, the university's leadership recognized a critical opportunity to enhance both student learning and administrative efficiency.

Task: My goal is to act as a catalyst for growth by developing a strategic vision for AI adoption, aligning our initiatives with the Microsoft AI Adoption Framework to ensure we invest in the right areas for maximum impact.

Action: I am guiding the strategy by evaluating platforms like Azure OpenAI and identifying high-value use cases across the university. I am building the business cases needed to secure stakeholder buy-in and champion these new initiatives.

Result: This forward-looking strategy positions the university to be a leader in educational technology. We are creating a roadmap to unlock new levels of innovation and efficiency, ensuring we are prepared for the next wave of technological transformation.

Why This Role, Why Now?

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of acting as an internal trusted advisor, dedicating myself to the success of a single organization. That experience taught me that the most rewarding work comes from deeply understanding a stakeholder's challenges and building the right solutions to help them thrive. I've reached a point where I want to dedicate the next chapter of my career to doing exactly that, but with a direct and dedicated focus on the customer.

The Digital Solution Area Specialist role represents the perfect evolution for me because it is fundamentally customer-centric. It's an opportunity to take the skills I've honed—translating complex technology, orchestrating projects, and catalyzing growth—and apply them externally to help a diverse range of businesses succeed.

My passion has shifted from managing internal systems to empowering external partners. I want to be in the room where I can advocate for the customer, help them navigate their AI transformation, and see them achieve their goals. This role isn't just a job; it's the ideal platform for me to fully embrace a customer-centric career and make a broader impact.

30-60-90 Day Plan

My vision is to deliver value quickly and build a foundation for long-term success. This plan outlines my focus for the first three months, moving from learning and alignment to actively driving results.

First 30 Days: Learn & Align

The first month is dedicated to deep immersion and building relationships. My goal is to become a fully integrated and knowledgeable member of the team.

  • Internal Processes: Complete all required onboarding and training, with a focus on mastering Microsoft's sales tools, the MCEM framework, and internal programs.
  • Collaboration: Schedule meetings with my manager, assigned Account Executives, and key Cloud Solution Architects to understand our territory's strategy, existing account plans, and our shared goals.
  • Territory Analysis: Analyze the top 10-15 accounts in my assigned territory, reviewing their current Azure consumption, existing solutions, and historical data to identify initial patterns and potential opportunities.
  • Pipeline Hygiene: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the current sales pipeline, focusing on deal stages, health, and ensuring data accuracy to support reliable forecasting.

Next 60 Days: Contribute & Engage

The second month is focused on applying my knowledge and actively contributing to customer engagements and team objectives.

  • Customer Engagement: Shadow at least three customer meetings led by senior specialists and actively co-present in at least one, focusing on a Cloud or AI solution.
  • Business Case Development: Partner with an Account Executive and a Cloud Solution Architect to build my first TCO/ROI business case for a real customer opportunity, leveraging my expertise in financial modeling.
  • Opportunity Identification: Based on my analysis of client consumption patterns, my goal is to identify and present at least two potential "net-new revenue" opportunities within existing accounts to my manager and the relevant AE.
  • Partner Ecosystem: Connect with two key Microsoft partners in our region to understand their capabilities and how we can collaborate to deliver value.

First 90 Days: Lead & Drive

By the end of the first quarter, my goal is to be operating as a fully functional and proactive member of the sales team, independently leading engagements.

  • Lead Customer Engagements: Independently lead my first customer-facing workshop or solution briefing, demonstrating a Cloud or AI solution to address a specific business challenge.
  • Pipeline Ownership: Take ownership of 2-3 qualified opportunities in the pipeline, actively managing the sales cycle, orchestrating the virtual team, and driving them toward a close.
  • Strategic Account Planning: Contribute a detailed Cloud & AI strategy for two of my key accounts as part of the formal account planning process.
  • Deliver Measurable Results: Have at least one customer commitment for a proof-of-concept or a signed deal that I have significantly influenced or led.

Experience & Qualifications

Education

Master of Science in IT & Management
Dallas Baptist University | Dallas, TX 2020

Postgraduate specialization in administration of IT
Fundacao Getulio Vargas | Sao Paulo, Brazil 2011

Bachelor of Information Systems
Universidade Paulista | Sao Paulo, Brazil 2008

Certifications

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) 2025
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect Expert (AZ-305) pursuing
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialist (AZ-140) 2023
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) 2022
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900) 2022
  • Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC-900) 2022
  • Scrum.org: Professional Scrum Master I 2022
  • Project Management Institute: PMP Exam Preparation Course 2012
  • IT Service Management Foundation (based on ITIL® V2) 2009

Professional Experience

System Operations Director

Dallas Baptist University | Jan 2021 – Present

As the lead trusted advisor for the university's cloud strategy, I guide senior leadership on Azure adoption. I built and championed a business case that drove a 300% increase in Azure consumption while reducing TCO. Currently guiding the university's Generative AI adoption strategy and leading solution discovery workshops.

Adjunct Professor

Dallas Baptist University | Jul 2021 – Present

Teach IT Strategy and Cloud Computing, integrating AI-driven insights and real-world cloud architectures to drive business value.

Systems Specialist

Dallas Baptist University | May 2019 – Dec 2020

Led automation initiatives using Power Automate to enhance operational efficiency. Developed an in-house tool to streamline application lifecycle management.

Regional Service Delivery Manager; Senior Project Manager

Wipro | Jul 2016 – Nov 2018

Oversaw IT service delivery across 19 LATAM countries, acting as a strategic liaison between clients and technical teams to align operations with digital transformation roadmaps. Led cross-functional teams in regional deployments and presented KPI reports to senior stakeholders.

Senior Project Manager

Somos Educacao | Apr 2015 – Dec 2015

Led a large-scale, cross-functional transformation initiative, managing project managers across e-commerce, logistics, and product domains to deliver an integrated digital solution spanning Oracle and legacy systems.

Project Manager

Abril Comunicacoes | Mar 2011 – Apr 2015

Managed strategic IT projects, including publishing system implementations, ERP enhancements, and security system upgrades.

Pre-Sales Project Engineer

Network1 | Sep 2008 – Mar 2011

Partnered with account executives to qualify customer needs, define solution scope, and influence purchasing decisions for SMB clients. Supported pipeline growth by identifying cross-sell and upsell opportunities.

System Specialist

Nestle | Mar 2004 – Jul 2008

Coordinated IT rollout teams and standardized computer imaging for Nestlé Brazil in alignment with global headquarters. Provided second-level support and conducted end-user training.

IT Support Specialist

IBM | May 2003 – Feb 2004

Assisted in the "Globe" project, supporting the global unification of SAP systems across Nestlé operations.