Meet Wendy Schuchart, AFCOM Association Manager!
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
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We’re thrilled to announce that Wendy Shuchart has joined the AFCOM team as our new Association Manager! Wendy brings a wealth of industry knowledge from her time as Editor-in-Chief of Data Center Knowledge and ITPro Today, two of Informa’s leading news
sites. Here's a little Q&A so you can get to know Wendy better.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I come from an IT and process background, working for a Fortune 500 enterprise company right out of college, starting as a programmer and working up through training and support, then software development and production management. I realized what
I really loved the most was engaging with thought leaders and connecting experts and communities, so I moved into technology journalism, events and engaged content. Most recently, I was editor in chief of Data Center Knowledge and ITPro Today, two of
Informa’s news sites. If I look familiar, you may have seen me last year at DCW interviewing folks at the Data Center Knowledge news desk right outside the show floor. I’m looking forward to getting out from in front of the camera and engaging with our
members in person.
What excites you right now about the data center industry?
Wow, what doesn’t excite me? In the Broadway show Hamilton, Aaron Burr sings about wanting to be in the room where it happens, and right
now, data centers are definitely the room where it happens – quite literally as well as figuratively. AI is already the elephant in the room, and with new sustainability technologies as well as faster chips, combined with the current struggle of the supply
chain and tariffs, this industry is poised to make huge jumps in capabilities in the next few years. Constraint generates creativity, and with tremendous talent demands and changes, this is the moment when everything shifts. I’m thrilled to have a seat
in the room where it happens!
What excites you about AFCOM?
AFCOM people are my people. I cut my teeth as a baby coder alongside former tape jockeys who told me stories of the “good old days” and once had a job
fail to process because a Junebug had shorted out an AC unit, which caused an overheated rack to shut down. I also appreciate what it’s like to be in an industry where the rest of the corporation has no idea what you do and can’t understand why your department’s
budget is so big. Data center pros are underappreciated, overlooked, and generally working far harder than anyone understands. I’m energized by communities of like-minded folks, and love connecting people with new opportunities. I also really appreciate
the passion and pursuit toward perfection that AFCOM members have in common.
What are you passionate about in this industry?
Representation. Tech has always suffered from a bad reputation of being a white man’s
game, but the world is challenging and changing that narrative. I’ve made my career in STEM despite as a woman with an educational background in the arts, and while it seems counterintuitive to have a literature nerd who goes to Jane Austen conferences
writing about evaporative cooling, the truth is the industry needs voices from all kinds of backgrounds and perspectives. That’s how we become bullet-proof. So I’m driven to lift up those alternate viewpoints, sweep the corners for wallflowers and bring
them into the conversation. Diversity of the industry isn’t just nice to have or a thing to feel warm and fuzzy about. It’s an imperative. A true game-changer for success. To stay alive and make advancements, we must challenge ourselves and grow accordingly.
What makes you smile in the morning?
I have two French bulldogs, Ole and Isobel, and while the breed is obnoxious and stubborn, they are both so ridiculous that they make me laugh all the time. I also love the contrast
of a hot latte on a cold morning, or an ice latte on a hot humid morning. My husband is pretty great too.
Outside of work, what are you doing for fun?
I write fiction, so frequently meet up with other fiction authors
and talk about why we keep beating ourselves up trying to make the perfect story. Is that fun? Kind of, in a perverse way. I am one of millions who suffer from Long Covid, so while I no longer have the stamina to take my dogs on long hikes through the
woods (well, they have very short legs and are not great hikers, so “long” is subjective) I do enjoy getting out in nature. I’m turning into a bird watcher, I think, which my thirteen-year-old self would be mortified to learn, but wow, I love spotting
new birds. It’s like real life Pokemon! Every summer, my husband and I take a week off, sit on the beach on Lake Michigan, and read books. It is perfection. I’m also a Jane Austen fan and spend a weekend a year hanging out with other Jane Austen scholars
and drinking tea. Highly recommended.
What shows are you obsessed with?
Like everyone, I love Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Severance (although it is SO tense! I cannot relax while watching it, but I can’t stop watching
it either). I’m a literature nerd and I love historical adaptations (see above: Jane Austen) so if there’s twinkly piano music and English accents, I’m probably game.
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