Ben Chiswell

Experience

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  U.S. Coast Guard

  Jun 1966 - Jun 1996

  Captain, USCG

  •Held progressively more responsible leadership positions with broad technical competence spanning telecom/electronics/IT systems during 30 year military career.•Director, Telecommunications Division (1993-96), responsible for service-wide strategic policies, requirements development, planning, budgeting and $30M annual program execution for infrastructure, workforce development and internal & external services delivery.•Program Manager of the following systems development and delivery initiatives:- Maritime emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) - Shipboard L-band satellite terminal engineering proof-of-concept demonstration, technical characterization for international standards development and operational performance assessment- Build-out of nationwide USCG packet data network, LANs and delivery of initial & nexgen standard office PCs- High frequency ship/shore MF/HF radio system automation, inter-networking and facilities consolidation- Deployable tactical emergency communications vans with MH/HF/VHF/cellular/landline capabilities - Federal counter-narcotics air interdiction C3I centers requirements analysis, budget justification, design, contractor selection, development and implementation- Joint DoD/Federal law enforcement secure communications interoperability and information sharing (ADNET) Show less

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  SAIC

  Aug 1996 - Dec 2011

  Program Manager

  •Organized services delivery teams for DoS CIO IT Svcs Vanguard contract, led transformation to a “managed IT services” contract. Developed transition methodology, WBS & metrics. Completed knowledge transfer. Exceeded 95% capture of 500+ incumbent contractors. •Instituted ITSM best practices for Tier II and Tier III service delivery. Created efficient processes for approval govt approval of costs. Procured >$1M of commercial mainframe/server HW/SW services to replace expiring contracts. Managed 500+ positions in 5 service lines, 15 large & small sub-contractors. Produced burn rates, est to complete, profitability, inputs for EVMS & DoS' OMB A-300 CAPEX submission.•Managed engineering, installation, network operations center, maintenance, compliance, configuration, accreditation & logistics teams for DISA’s global NIPRNET/SIPRNET, Transport & Voice-over-Secure IP network. Using agile methodology, developed user friendly, web-based system encompassing all aspects of ATM Transport network support: work order processing, engineering, network operation, configuration management, logistics and metrics reporting. Integrated Cisco, Marconi & other vendor proprietary device management software with an open auto-discovery engine to populate the configuration database for engineering provisioning and troubleshooting. Drawing on risk management & contingency plans, rapidly expanded DISA’s worldwide ATM transport network in response to 9/11. Installed new switch nodes, commercial fiber in the NCR, expanded the CONUS NOC & interconnected higher bandwidths circuits for command centers and deployed forces.•Managed technical, operations and logistics contracts for DARPA/DISA Bosnia Command and Control Augmentation PMO. Maintained LAN/WANs, Ku SATCOM links, receive terminals, intel dissemination servers, encryption, video/data broadcast centers & 7X24 services delivering leading-edge video & web products to deployed forces. Show less

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  Verizon Enterprise Solutions

  Apr 2012 - Aug 2017

  Program Manager, Public Sector, Cloud & Hosting

  • PM for $60M multi-year USAID Enterprise IT Support Services managed cloud and colocation contract. Maintained effective relationship with senior USAID IT officials and CO/COTR. Prepared and presented Program Reviews for customer and internal management. Managed matrixed technical infrastructure and operational services delivery teams to exceed service level requirements. Analyzed client’s evolving global enterprise performance, capacity and disaster recovery objectives. Prepared technical alternatives and price proposals. Member Cloud Services Configuration Advisory Board (CAB). Reviewed changes (CR/CO)/methods & procedure (MOP) affecting USAID and other public sector cloud/managed hosting customers. Top Secret security clearance.• Performed all post-sales client services for an average of 50+ concurrent public sector accounts for managed cloud, colocation and hosting awarded under GSA Schedule 70, Networx and WITS-3 contract vehicles. Participated in capture planning and proposals, planned and managed complex service implementation projects and schedules. Reported on performance against service level agreements, delivery of contract services, customer satisfaction and revenue potential to senior management. Reviewed weekly Change Requests/Change Orders on behalf of clients. Submitted inputs for Cloud Knowledge Base (KB) articles.• Managed design, implementation, scheduling, delivery reviews, turn-up and on-going support for Fairfax County VA data center DR site and Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority production data center relocation.• Led cross-functional process teams to significantly improve communication flows between the PMO, Sales, Engineering, Implementations, Compliance, Operations and Billing teams. Thoroughly documented new processes which improved internal coordination and handoffs, decreased service delivery times, errors and rework, increased client satisfaction and shortened billing and revenue generation cycle times. Show less

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  IBM

  Sept 2017 - Sept 2019

  Program Manager

  • Performed client relationship and contract management functions for Public Sector managed cloud, hosting, edge delivery and resiliency services. Ensured timely implementation of contracted services and resolution of service issues, continuously assessed client satisfaction, monitored usage and performance against SLAs. • Identified new service features, market opportunities, customer expectations and go-to-market strategy. Coordinated with technical teams to develop efficient cloud migration strategies, pricing and customer proposals. Advised commercial account team on federal procurement policies and procedures for a large federal agency proposal.• Client Service Manager, IBM’s Edge Delivery Service (Akamai) sub-contract with Verizon for its Content Delivery Network services contract with U.S. Postal Service. Show less

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  SAIC

  Mar 2020 - Feb 2023

  Program Manager