We are excited to announce our new 2023 ambassadors! These ambassadors are a group of dedicated individuals who are passionate about promoting and advancing the use of mainframe technology in various industries.
The primary objective of the Ambassadors Program is to inform as many people as possible about how to join the community and advance Open Mainframe. The new ambassadors come from all corners of the world, representing various companies and organizations that use mainframe technology. They were specifically selected for their knowledge, leadership abilities and dedication to the Open Mainframe Project’s mission.
The ambassadors have volunteered to speak, mentor, review materials or presentations and write blogs or contributed articles that showcase Open Mainframe as an umbrella foundation or any of the projects that fall under it.
We are excited to have this group of people with diverse interests, experiences, and technical backgrounds help drive the global Open Mainframe Project community. Let’s learn more about them:
Lionel Dyck
Lionel is a Senior Software Developer and a CBTTAPE contributor. He had been using z/OS for many years and had been involved in the open source projects since the early 80’s.
Lionel is a happy family man, having been married to his lovely bride for nearly 50 years and is a proud parent of two great children who have blessed him with two wonderful grandchildren.
Although Lionel currently resides in Texas, he spent the first five decades of his life in California. Lionel’s passion for z/OS and his extensive experience has driven him to develop innovative tools that simplify its use. Typically, Lionel uses ISPF and REXX to create these tools. Additionally, he has authored several dozen articles and blogs detailing the use of open source tools for the mainframe.
Lionel’s passion for writing extends beyond technical writing. He has a keen eye for detail and has been known to proofread novels for both sci-fi and mystery authors.
3 fun facts:
- He enjoys spending time with his bride.
- He misses the old SCIDS at SHARE.
- He can’t sing and doesn’t drink.
As an Open Mainframe Ambassador, Lionel is eager to pursue conference speaking opportunities as well as writing/blogging opportunities to promote new technologies and products in the field.
Domenico D’Alterio
Domenico D’Alterio is a highly skilled IBM Principal Product Manager with extensive industry experience. He contributes to the Open Mainframe Project’s Zowe and IBM Z distribution for Zowe projects, as a Zowe onboarding Squad team member, Zowe Chat Squad team member and Zowe contributor. Domenico’s current responsibilities include contributing to the open source project strategy and direction as well as the market success of Zowe’s IBM Z distribution.
Prior to his current position, Domenico was the Product Manager for IBM Z AIOps offerings. He was able to hone his leadership skills while working on the strategic direction of multiple offerings. Domenico has held a variety of management positions in IBM’s development and Customer Support organizations as well as the position of Product Manager for Z Analytics products.
Domenico’s experience and expertise makes him an excellent candidate for speaking opportunities, where he can represent the Mainframe project at conferences and press interviews. He also enjoys mentoring new members of the community, assisting them in contributing upstream and creating collateral for project overview materials. Domenico also enjoys blogging.
3 fun facts:
- He likes to walk over the mountains, discover new places and do hiking … last year (May 2022) he made the Gran Tour Val Di Chiana … 45 km of hiking in 1 day, it was exciting and challenging at the same time. In May this year, he will try the second step of the tour, same distance, different itinerary.
- He loves cooking, especially for people he loves like his daughter and girlfriend. He likes to experiment with even plates that are not Italian usual food, so he cooks some Chinese, English, Mexican and other food specialties.
- His dream is to drive a Ferrari.
Rune Christensen
Rune Christensen, a Lead Software Engineer at Bankdata Denmark, has extensive mainframe experience dating back to 2006. As a member of Bankdata’s Mainframe Developer Experience team, he is in charge of providing mainframe developers with the necessary tools, support and education. Rune is concentrating his efforts in his current position on bringing a DevOps mindset to Bankdata’s mainframe development.
Aside from team projects, Rune’s expertise in COBOL and SQL performance is noteworthy. He is committed to promoting shift left to developers and persuading management of its effectiveness. Rune has also been a member and administrator of the COBOL Check TSC.
Rune has also been appointed an Open Mainframe Ambassador, a position in which he hopes to make numerous contributions to the project. These include attending conferences to represent the project, mentoring new community members to contribute upstream, reviewing and contributing to project overview material, and improving project documentation by creating getting started guides and how- tos.
3 fun facts:
- He has drained a sysplex for resources with a recursive SQL.
- He knows a LOT about beers that causes headaches.
- He has not owned a television for the last 15 years.
Jakub Balhar
Jakub Balhar is an experienced technology enthusiast based in Europe. He is passionate about open source and security. He currently devotes a lot of time to the Zowe project , where he is the API 
Mediation Layer squad lead and chair of the Zowe TSC.
Over the course of his career, Jakub has been involved in a variety of companies and projects within the IT industry. Notably, he has worked on Earth Observation projects with NASA and the European Space Agency. Additionally he co-authored a book on accessibility for people for Dyslexia , titled “Dyslexia and Accessibility in the Modern Era: Emerging Research and Opportunities”
3 fun facts:
- He plays and organizes Larps including once organizing a week long larp on the replica of a historical ship in the mediterranean sea.
- He dances tango argentino.
- He enjoys rock climbing, but when the mood strikes, he likes to solo climb without the rope.
Jakub is dedicated to pursuing opportunities as an Open Mainframe Ambassador, including speaking engagements, press interviews, mentoring new community members and writing about new technologies and products.
Fernando Rijo Cedeno
Fernando Rijo Cedeno works at Broadcom, Inc. as a talented and experienced Software Engineer. He is a TSC member and mentor for the Zowe CLI Squad, as well as an ex-leader of the Zowe Explorer Squad. Fernando is a Zowe contributor who works on projects involving low level z/OS tools, middleware, web and mobile applications. He has extensive experience working with programing languages and frameworks such as REXX/OML, TS, Node.js, Flutter, Angular, Ionic, CSS/SCSS, HTML, C/C++, Python, Groovy, Java, Kotlin, and others.
3 fun facts:
- He likes learning new skills.
- He loves to travel.
- He belongs to the 5am Club (Book).
Fernando is eager to pursue opportunities such as speaking engagements, mentoring, translation, blogging and collaboration with other open source communities.
Caitlin Mooney
Caitlin Mooney is a recent Computer Science Graduate from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She is passionate about using technology for social good and is an enthusiastic volunteer for various causes. Her work experience includes infrastructure problem solving at UPS, STEM and Mainframe research at BCC, and business operations at Colliers International and Pullman Services.
Caitlin’s primary career interests lie in law and privacy and she is eager to learn more about cyber security, finance and mathematics.
3 fun facts:
- She has a pet bird, named Snowball.
- She loves Star Wars and The Witcher.
- She has an obsession with the Hamilton album.
Caitlin hopes to represent the project as an Open Mainframe Ambassador by giving press interviews and attending conferences. She also looks forward to mentoring new members of the community, improving project documentation, and writing blog posts about new technologies and products. Caitlin is confident that even though she is still a novice in the field, she can provide non-technical mentorship to those who require it.
Boris Petkov
Boris Petkov is an accomplished Engineering Manager with over three years of experience at Broadcom, where he leads a dedicated team with the primary goal of contributing to Zowe and driving adoption.
3 fun facts:
- He was born on the same date as Tupac Shakur.
- He was born on the same date as the last Tsar of Bulgaria, Simeon II.
- He graduated from high-school twice… yes, both times successfully.
Boris is committed to mentoring new community members and guiding them toward upstream contributions as Open Mainframe Ambassador. He is interested in translation opportunities in addition to his mentoring work. He is enthusiastic about teaching Zowe users in getting the most out of Zowe.
Michael DuBois
Michael DuBois, Senior Manager for Product Management in Broadcom’s Open Mainframe Technologies, is a seasoned expert with over 35 years of experience in Mainframe application development and programmer productivity solutions. He currently leads Broadcom’s Product Management team for Open Mainframe Technologies which includes CA Brightside and Broadcom’s open source activities, specifically Zowe. He is also an active member of the Zowe community as a member of the Zowe Advisory Council and the Onboarding Squad.
3 fun facts:
- He is compulsively neat.
- He enjoys long road trips.
- He spent five years coaching travel softball.
As an Open Mainframe Ambassador, Micheal is dedicated to supporting the Zowe project by participating in conference speaking opportunities and assisting new community members in contributing upstream. He is also interested in reviewing and contributing to project overview materials as well as writing blogs about new technologies and products.
Marcus Davage
Meet Marcus Davage, a BMC Software lead product developer and active supporter of IBM Z and LinuxONE. Marcus is a true veteran and expert in the field of mainframes, with over 30 years of experience. He has worked as a programmer, systems programmer, consultant, database administrator and other roles, giving him a broad understanding of mainframe technology.
In his spare time, he volunteers as a STEM Ambassador , leading Code Clubs in Welsh speaking primary schools and introducing children to the fascinating world of technology.
Marcus is an active member of several user groups and committees, including the UK Db2 User Group and the GSE Conference Planning Committee, in addition to his advocacy work. He is an IBM Champion as well as an IBM Z and LinuxONE Influencer, and he blogs and podcasts on a regular basis to share his industry insights and knowledge.
3 fun facts:
- He speaks Welsh at home.
- He once played piano for the Filipino Minister for Development.
- He is two-degrees separated from King Charles III.
Marcus is dedicated to advancing the project and its objectives in his capacity as an Open Mainframe Ambassador. He is most interested in speaking opportunities where he can represent the project at conferences and events, as well as collateral creation where he can review and contribute to project overview material. He also enjoys blogging and writing about new technologies and products, describing them with his mainframe expertise and experience.
Dong Ma
Introducing Dong Ma, a passionate Software Engineer at IBM and a dedicated contributor to the Open Mainframe Feilong project. With his expertise in cloud infrastructure and OpenStack, Dong has been actively contributing to the open source community for several years.
Dong is currently employed by IBM Cloud Infrastructure Center, where he specializes in on-premises cloud deployments on the IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE platforms. He has made significant contributions to the Jenkins, OpenStackCI, and QA areas of OpenStack since the Liberty release, with a keen eye for detail and a focus on quality assurance.
Dong’s enthusiasm for open source and technology has led him to speak at a number of conferences, including the OpenStack Summit, LCA2017, LinuxCon Japan, FOSSCON, and others. His extensive knowledge and experience have earned him the respect of the community.
3 fun facts:
- He once took pictures with Linus Torvalds.
- He likes to collect stamps and fridge magnets.
- He is the father of two kids.
Dong is an Open Mainframe Ambassador who is dedicated to fostering community growth. He intends to represent the project at conferences, mentor new community members in contributing upstream, create and review project overview material, translate key project documents into other languages, and write blogs and articles describing new Feilong technologies and products.
Dong Ma is a dedicated and accomplished professional who personifies the open source community’s spirit. His contributions to the Feilong project, as well as his passion for technology, have earned him a position of respect and admiration in the industry.
The new ambassadors join an already thriving program with thought leaders from several Open Mainframe Project member companies and other industry organizations. To see the complete list of ambassadors, please check out the Ambassadors Page here.
If you would like an ambassador to speak at your event, please contact pr@openmainframeproject.org with the name of the conference, date and links.
