I feel that I am qualified for the PMI Houston President role because I've been volunteering for the chapter for over 8 years. I started out as a volunteer for the Membership committee, then I moved on as Director of Technology, then VP of Communications, and am currently the VP of Technology. I have also been the conference tech lead for 7 years. This year I'm the Conference PM with less than 4 months of planning for the conference and a celebration of our 50th-year anniversary as the first PMI chapter.

As President, I plan to update our by-laws with our board since it's been over 5 years, plan for the possibility of single membership, and streamline / automate our committee processes

Brian Nguyen is the current Director of Technology Operations for PMI Houston, a position he has held for the past two years. In this role, Brian oversees the organization's technical infrastructure, including email systems, security protocols, and the ongoing migration to Dark Rhino. He has also played a key role in supporting the 2023 and 2024 PMI Houston Conferences by contributing to the speaker committee, the project team, and providing mobile application support during the events.

With a background in project management within the legal sector, Brian has managed various initiatives, such as application deployments, office construction and relocations, and in-house software development. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in the oil and gas industry, specifically supporting operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Today, Brian continues to enhance PMI Houston's technology services while introducing innovative solutions to improve operational efficiency.

Manish is a seasoned IT professional and Business Process Manager with a decade of expertise in intelligent automation. As the Southwest Program Lead for PMI, he has orchestrated engaging events with prominent speakers, enhancing member learning and collaboration. A speaker at PMI Houston and Global Annual Conferences on data and AI, he has shared insights that empower professionals in the field. Having trained over 1K employees and fostered a culture of innovation, Manish now aims to leverage his expertise as Vice President of Technology to implement cutting-edge solutions and elevate the chapter's impact within the community. His aim is to drive technological advancement and create unparalleled value for Houston chapter and its members.

Dan Krishock is a Senior HR Product Manager for the oilfield services company TechnipFMC. Over the last twenty years he has also worked in Human Resources and IT for the energy sector companies Tenaris, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford.

Before starting his career in the energy sector, Dan worked extensively as journalist. Between 2000 and 2005 he was the managing editor for The Buenos Aires Herald, an English-language daily in Argentina.

Dan has served as PMI Houston’s VP Communications since 2022 and is responsible for publishing the chapter’s newsletter. Since taking charge of the newsletter, Dan has endeavored to bring more attention to PMIH activities and PMIH members’ contributions to the chapter. He views the newsletter, which reaches more than 13,000 readers, as a highly effective means for showing how much PMIH has to offer and for encouraging member participation in the chapter’s activities.

If reelected, Dan aims to increase submissions by PMIH members to the newsletter. He believes the newsletter should also be a medium for members to share their own insights on project management. With a membership approaching 5,000, there is a vast store of knowledge and experience to share within the PMIH community.

Dan holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

I bring over 10 years of dedicated volunteer service to PMI Houston, having held roles such as Venue Lead, PMI Houston Director of West Venues, and initiator of the PMI Houston Leadership Academy. My extensive experience and deep understanding of the community’s needs make me a highly qualified candidate for the role of VP Program.

I understand that members seek the highest return on their investment, which is why I am committed to delivering quality speakers who provide fresh insights and address the unique challenges faced by today’s project managers. My focus is on reducing speaker repetition and diversifying the topics covered, ensuring that the content remains innovative, engaging, and relevant to professional growth.

In this role, I am also committed to increasing transparency by regularly sharing the board’s vision, activities, and progress with the broader membership. By fostering open communication, I aim to strengthen trust and engagement within the community.

Additionally, I plan to explore hybrid and podcast formats to increase accessibility and offer more value to PMI Houston members. These initiatives will ensure that valuable resources are available to members, no matter their location or schedule.

With my background as a Leadership & Executive Career Coach, I bring valuable insights into the evolving development needs of project management professionals and am dedicated to advancing their growth through PMI Houston’s programs.

Why Samant is a qualified candidate for the PMI Houston VP Program:

Samant Kumar brings an exceptional breadth of experience, positioning him as an ideal candidate for the PMI Houston VP Program. With over 20 years in IT, his career has been centered on portfolio and program management, Agile coaching, and consulting. He has developed a deep expertise that spans across various industries and technical domains, including data warehousing, business intelligence, and cloud development. His numerous certifications—such as SAFe SPC, PMI-ACP, ICP-ACC, A-CSM, CSM, and CSPO—attest to his mastery of Agile methodologies and his leadership in driving Agile transformations. At leading organizations like IBM and Capgemini, Samant has consistently driven innovation, improved team performance, and fostered collaboration. His leadership has been instrumental in delivering complex, high-impact projects, including real-time cloud reporting solutions. Samant's strong technical foundation, combined with his leadership and facilitation skills, positions him as a highly capable leader ready to advance PMI’s mission of promoting professionalism in project management.

Samant’s active involvement in the Agile and project management communities further solidifies his standing as a thought leader. He has been invited to speak at prestigious conferences such as Agile 2024, the PMI Houston 50th Conference and Expo, Texas A&M, Northeastern University, and Rice University Symposiums, as well as multiple PMI chapters across Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Los Angeles. His contributions have earned him significant recognition, including the Globee Award 2024 and the Ctoday Most Pioneering Agile Program Manager award. Additionally, Samant is a fellow of The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) and an Eminent Fellow member of SAS. He serves on key advisory councils, including the Harvard Business Review (HBR) Advisory Council and the PEX Process Network Advisory Council. His role as a judge for prestigious awards such as the Globee Awards and hackathons at institutions like Rice University, Michigan University, and UT Arlington, along with the NASA International App Challenge and the Texas Science and Engineering Fair, highlights his dedication to fostering innovation and excellence within the industry.

What Samant hopes to do in the PMI Houston VP Program position: In the role of VP Program, Samant aims to leverage his extensive leadership and coaching experience to enhance the value and impact of PMI Houston. His primary objective is to implement programs that support professional development, with a strong focus on promoting an agile mindset among members. A core component of his vision is the introduction of mentorship initiatives, where experienced professionals can guide and nurture emerging project managers, cultivating an inclusive and growth-oriented community. Samant also plans to increase member engagement by launching initiatives that provide career guidance, interview preparation, and networking opportunities. His background in successfully leading Agile transformations equips him with the expertise to introduce frameworks that can help PMI Houston members excel in navigating complex project environments. Ultimately, Samant aspires to build a thriving community where project managers are empowered to achieve both professional and personal success, contributing to the ongoing growth and innovation of the PMI Houston chapter.