Potomac Chapter

Michael Whitlock Bio

General Manager - Sabey Data Centers

Michael Whitlock is the General Manager of Sabey Data Centers (IntergateAshburn). In this role Michael is responsible for the overall success of the campus and generating revenue by ensuring low churn and excellent customer service to both new and existing customers. Michael has over 25 years of experience in the government, commercial and critical infrastructure industry. Michael has proven to have a very strong skill set in team building, staff development, remote staff management, sales, geographically dispersed operations, standardization, vendor management and data center builds. Michael is an advocate of training, ensuring the success, growth and stability of those who have worked under his guidance preparing them to be future leaders in the data center community. He likes to refer to it as “clock building” as said by his favorite author (Jim Collins). Michael is an active partner in the data center community lending his time and efforts to 7x24 Exchange, AFCOM and the NVTC. Michael is the Director of Memberships for the Potomac Chapter and is always looking to engage with both current and potential new members. Michael’s can do it attitude along with his fight to win has established him as one the premier General Managers in the most competitive data center market in the world.

In Michael’s spare time he likes attending sporting events such as the Kentucky Derby, NCAA Final Four and various golfing tournaments. Michael also loves to hit the open road on his Harley any chance he can and enjoys quality time with his family.

Bruce Thomas Bio

Business Development Manager-Virginia Division Tindall Building Systems Corporation

Bruce Thomas is the Business Development Manager-Virginia Division Building Systems. Tindall Corporation the largest privately held precast concrete contracting company in the nation. A large portion of the company’s Virginia Division’s annual revenue is related to the mission critical market in Northern Virginia with supports 70% of the world’s internet traffic.

Bruce has 30+ years of experience in the data center/mission critical market, starting out in project management and moving into a sales engineer position for the local sales representative for Liebert Corporation ( Vertiv ) and then into mechanical contracting. Spending years in the same industry has created a deep network of business associates and friends in the business.

Bruce is active in the development of the “next generation” of professionals in the industry. Working with the AFCOM Potomac Chapter Internship Program, The Maryland Chamber of Commerce Teacher Externship Program, the local MCAMW ( Mechanical Contractors Association of Metro Washington ) Steamfitters Local 602 and Plumbers Local 5 unions career development programs.

Bruce serves on the AFCOM Potomac Chapter board of directors and is the chapter vice president. Bruce also serves on the board for the 7x24 Exchange Central Virginia Chapter. Bruce lives in Richmond, Virginia with his drop dead gorgeous Italian Goddess wife, Karen, and their $50.00 dog, Stan. Bruce enjoys all his outdoor adventures of hunting and fishing and is a huge baseball fan.

Phil Baroody Bio

Director of Business Development - Rosendin Electric

As director of business development at Rosendin Electric, Phil is responsible for driving strategic partnerships in all national markets specifically focused on renewables, data center, semiconductor and healthcare.

Phil joined the AFCOM Potomac Chapter as a board member in 2018 and expanded the chapter’s involvement in community outreach through participation in charitable and industry events throughout the chapter’s region. During his tenure on the board, he has assisted in driving growth across several committees, including community outreach, internships and scholarships, and the annual golf tournament.

Phil lives in Leesburg, Virginia with his wife, Francie, and is a proud father of two daughters: Anna, who is currently and M1 student at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Erin, who is pursuing a career in video production after graduating from James Madison University.

Mark Moody Bio

Global Strategic Account Manager - Vertiv

Mark has been involved in a variety of areas within the datacenter industry. His strength is in the relationship he has built over the years in this big-little industry. Mark presently supports all Channel Sales for Vertiv in Maryland, Virginia, DC, the Carolinas and the Federal space.

Mark has been on the Board of The Potomac Chapter of AFCOM for the last five years. Recently Mark took over the Treasurer responsibilities.

Mark is an avid baseball fan. He coached a travel baseball team for many years and is proud of his office bathroom that doubles as a shrine to the great Washington Nationals.

Dave Mulholland Bio

Service Sales Manager - Eaton Richmond

Eaton acquired PDI two years ago and I have had various roles in Marketing, Engineering, Sales, Business Development and Service in my 23 years here. Presently, I am the Service Sales Manager for about half of the country –serving our loyal customers and offering upgrades and options for our tremendous installed base.

I actively participate in a number of volunteer organizations that support the data center business. I currently serve as the President Emeritus as of January of 2022 for the AFCOM Potomac Chapter. I have been a member of this Chapter since 2002, and under my guidance we initiated our first internship in 2018 and are heading into our 5th year with that robust program. In 2016, I received the President’s Choice award from AFCOM National for our work as a chapter. In 2020, our Chapter was awarded Chapter of the Year by AFCOM National and I received a Service Award from National as well. Last year the Potomac Board received the Program Award and two of our Board Members were also recognized by AFCOM National for their Outstanding Contributions. Additionally, we were recognized in 2021 by the Northern Virginia Tech Council (NVTC) as a recipient of the Data Center Community Champion award.

I love hunting and fishing in Virginia and anywhere I can. My wife Amy, our two sons Wiley and Henry and I enjoy the outdoors and play tennis in several local USTA leagues. The Potomac chapter hosts an annual golf event where it is clear that I should dedicate more time to this game. The comradery and teamwork on our Board is awesome and we are creating bright futures for students with our award winning internship and scholarship programs.

Charles Smith Bio

Manager, Office of Planning Institutional Effectiveness - University of the District of Columbia

Charles, a Project Manager at The University of the District of Columbia over the division of Records Management and Document preservation.

Charles currently serves the Potomac Chapter as Director of Education and Scholarships an End User member of AFCOM and the Potomac chapter since 2007 and as a board Director since 2012. As a Board member he most recently served the chapter in the following areas;

•Treasurer for over five years 2013 -2018,
• Double capacity Secretary-Treasurer 2013 -2014
• Chapter Secretary 2012-2013.stems.

For DCW National Harbor in 2015, Charles served as the panel Moderator for the Education Plat-forum.

Patrick Lally Bio

IT Channel Sales | Mission Critical Infrastructure, Capital Office - Vertiv

David Donato Bio

Senior Project Manager - Align

David is a highly respected member of the local data center community. David's ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders, including clients, contractors, and vendors, has earned him a reputation for being a collaborative team player. His leadership skills have also been recognized as he has led teams of engineers, architects, and contractors on various projects.

David is passionate about staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the data center construction industry, and he regularly attends industry conferences and seminars. He is committed to delivering the best possible outcome for his clients and providing exceptional service throughout the project lifecycle.

As a member of the Potomac Chapter of AFCOM Board of Directors, he plays a key role in all financial transactions including fundraising, internship, and philanthropic initiatives. David joined the Board in 2023 as Treasurer.

David is a devoted family man who takes great pride in his wife and two sons. His commitment to his family is a reflection of his values and character.

Jennifer Andos Bio

Owner - Paperfish Creative

Always looking to tell a good story, Jennifer Andos studied journalism, but her journey took an unexpected turn when she discovered her passion for graphic design. Her unique blend of persuasive writing and striking visuals has led her to working on household names like McDonald’s, has stopped Army Generals in their tracks, and can be seen all over the data center industry.

Jen is the married mother of two, and volunteers many hours a month as she sits on the AFCOM Potomac and Loudoun First Responders Foundation boards, chairs and sits on two technology and data center committees at the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, volunteers with the school district, and is a member of several other data industry organizations.

Benjie Haarberg Bio

Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice President, E2 Optics

As a 20+ year veteran in the data center industry, Benjie Haarberg relocated to NOVA in order to open the E2 Optics branch office in 2010. E2 provides technology services to mission critical clients from their 15 strategically located U.S. facilities and throughout Canada and Europe. During his career, Benjie has excelled in both operations and business development which has led to his success as a top performer and the E2 Regional Vice President. Leading a strong team while managing client expectations has always been a priority for Benjie and he prides himself on creating a positive culture with a can do attitude.

Having grown up on a farm and ranch in rural Nebraska, Benjie was taught the value of hard work, strong morals, and always remaining humble at an early age. Benjie attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney before making a move into the telecommunications industry which led to an easy transition into the data center industry. Benjie believes in and has always encouraged continual education to stay on top of the latest and greatest everchanging technologies in our industry.

In his free time he loves spending time with his family and getting out golfing.

TJ Ciccone Bio

Vice President, Critical Operations - STACK Infrastructure
NOVA Community College Adjunct Professor

Over the last ten years, I've worked my way up from site technician, to VP of Critical Operations, by believing that good was the enemy of great, speaking up when a problem or a path forward was clear, and putting the good of the team over the good of myself. I believe that I’m here to do two things: advance the data center industry and lay the groundwork for future leaders. I’m a teacher, mentor, leader, coach, player, teambuilder, and contributor. I speak up, and I post up. And I’m one of the rare ones who actually loves every moment of what I do and the impact I leave.

TJ Ciccone is the Vice President of Critical Operations for STACK INFRASTRUCTURE. TJ has over 12 years of data center management experience and a combined 18 years of involvement with critical facilities. TJ is also an adjunct professor for Northern Virginia Community College where he teaches the Introduction to Data Center Operations course.

Zachary Miller Bio

Area Operations Manager | Google

Deby Castellanos Bio

Critical Facility Technician | Aligned Data Centers

Deby Castellanos is a Critical Facility Technician working for Aligned Data Centers. Graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in Data Center Operations where she started her career in Data Centers 3 years ago. From very young she always found interest in the STEM fields and enjoyed challenges. She joined the AFCOM board in 2023 helping on the Philanthropy where she enjoys reaching out to her community and making a difference one person at a time.

Deby finds herself exploring northern Virginia for the best sunset views on her free time and painting, along with spending time with her Family.