Calling All Mainframers, Students, Open-Source Developers and DEI Advocates

On September 21-22, Philadelphia, PA, will become the hub for open source, mainframes and Linux on Z as students, engineers, developers attend the first-ever in-person Open Mainframe Summit. For those global attendees who can’t travel, the hybrid event includes a streaming option for all sessions and keynote presentations. This year will highlight security as it relates to all aspects of mainframes and beyond—including cloud-native services, automation, software supply chain management and more. The Summit will also highlight projects such as Zowe and COBOL, education and training topics that will offer seasoned professionals, developers, students, and thought leaders an opportunity to share best practices and network with like-minded individuals. "We are excited to host Open Mainframe Summit in person this year,” says John Mertic, director of program management at the Linux Foundation. “The last two events were successful in that we enabled our messages to reach more users around the world. We hope to continue that momentum while also giving our community a safe place to engage and collaborate face-to-face.” Open Mainframe Summit is open to students, developers, users and contributors of projects from around the globe looking to learn, network and collaborate. It will feature content tracks that tackle both business and technical strategies for enterprise development and deployment. Some of the security sessions include:

• Securing the software that matters (keynote): David Wheeler, open source supply chain security director, the Linux Foundation
• Integrate the Mainframe into Your Broader IT Security Strategy: Que Mangus, product marketing manager, Micro Focus

• Safe Cloud Native Services in the World of Zero Trust: Alan Clark, member of the CTO office, SUSE
• Managing Open Source Vulnerabilities on Mainframe: Emre Tunar, director of software engineering, mainframe security, Broadcom
• A Framework to Automate Cybersecurity Controls and Regulatory Controls on IBM zSystems and LinuxOne environments: Pradeep Parameshwaran, lead architect, security and compliance on IBM Z and LinuxONE, IBM

As sponsor of the Making Our Strong Community Stronger initiative, the Open Mainframe Project has added a core diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) element at the event as well. In fact, for the 2nd year in a row, Open Mainframe Summit earned a Gold Badge for prioritizing diversity and inclusion by CHAOSS Diversity & Inclusion Badging Program. Other highlights include:

• Bridge Gaps and Ignite the Spark for Growth: How Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Creates Value in the Mainframe Industry (keynote): Sharra Owens-Schwartz, vice president, inclusion, diversity and equity, Rocket Software
• Let’s Talk About the What’s and Whys of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Sharra Owens-Schwartz
• Neurodivergency and the Mainframe: A Parallel Universe (keynote): Cynthia Coupé, CEO, Outreach Advocacy Resources and Services (OARS)
• Neurodiversity at Work: Cynthia Coupé
• MY DEI Journey with Mainframes: Byron Smith, vice president, senior mainframe security engineer, systems technology, M&T Bank

Also be on the lookout for these sessions:

• Customer Success Stories Incorporating Zowe in Their z/OS Transformation and Modernization Journeys: Joe Winchester, senior technical staff member, IBM
• Meet the Future of COBOL: Hartanto Ario Widjaya, Singapore Management University; Caitlin Mooney, student mentor, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Jade Walker, ZDP trainee, M&T Bank; and Angie Rositilia Mejia, student, East Carolina University
• The New Workforce: Integrating the Next Generation With the Greatest Generation: Spencer Hallman, lead product manager, BMC
• How to Monitor and Manage Mainframe and Storage Performance Metrics Utilizing Voice and OpenSource Software Tools: Justin Santer, application developer and software engineer; Vincent Terrone, senior enterprise solutions architect; John Wolfgang, senior storage systems architect; and Len Santalucia, CTO, Vicom Infinity, a Converge Company
• Zowe Reaches Orbit, Now What Mission Control (keynote): Peter Wassel, director of product management, DevOps and Open Mainframe; George DeCandio, CTO, Broadcom
• Demystified: Put Your Web App on the Zowe Desktop in a Flash: Robert Blum, senior software developer, Phoenix Software International
• Mainframe Open Education - Fostering the Stewardship of Education Resources: Lauren Valenti, director of mainframe education and customer engagement, Broadcom; Viviane De Padua Diogo Sanches, skill and enablement leader, Kyndryl

See the full conference schedule here. Register here for in-person or virtual attendance. Open Mainframe Summit is made possible thanks to Platinum Sponsors Broadcom Mainframe Software, IBM, Kyndryl and SUSE; Gold Sponsors BMC, CloudFrame, Micro Focus and Vicom Infinity, a Converge Company and Bronze Sponsor Rocket Software.

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