The ITEN WIRED Team

Jim Rhodes

Director

Community & Public Relations Director, University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity

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Jim is a native of Pensacola and is a graduate of Tate High School and the University of West Florida, where he received his degree in finance. He moved to Charlotte, NC in 1997 with a goal of furthering his career in banking, but later developed a passion for information technology. Upon graduating from ECPI College of Technology, he officially entered the world of IT in 2001. After working several years as a network engineer, he and his family relocated back to Pensacola in 2007. He joined AppRiver the following year and later became the company’s first community relations specialist in 2018. He is currently the Community & Public Relations Director for the Center for Cybersecurity at the University of West Florida.

Because he believes the Cyber Coast can become a major hub for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, Jim is currently serving as an advisor to the board of directors for IT Gulf Coast and has actively participated in the planning of the annual ITEN WIRED Summit since 2012. He has served as director of the summit’s planning team since 2013.

His leisure activities include disc golf, fishing, and kayaking.

Join us on the #CyberCoast

ITEN WIRED: GROWING THE CYBER COAST

ITEN (Innovation, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Network) WIRED Summit is the Southeast’s premier cybersecurity and IT conference to connect, collaborate and build community with industry leaders, entrepreneurs and educators on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship topics.

The three-day event highlights the area’s cybersecurity, information technology and entrepreneurial communities and explores emerging technology and innovators in start-up tech, artificial intelligence, robotics, and emerging technologies on the national scene.

The summit, which began as an economic development initiative in 2008 by the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, is now hosted by IT Gulf Coast.

ITEN WIRED is a not-for-profit, technology-focused conference.  Proceeds from the event are used to support IT Gulf Coast's local STEM initiatives, including endowments to the University of West Florida and Pensacola State College.

The next ITEN WIRED Summit will take place on October 18-20, 2023.

Meet the Team

The ITEN WIRED planning team is composed of volunteers from IT Gulf Coast, AFCEA Blue Angels Pensacola Chapter, and other members of our local IT, tech and entrepreneurial community.

Jim Rhodes

Community and Public Relations Director
UWF Center for Cybersecurity
Director

Jay Smith

Managing Partner
Data Revolution
Sponsorship Chair

Sean O'Brien

Navy Account Manager
IBM
Programming Chair

Amelia Dixon

Enterprise Architect
Navy Federal Credit Union
Logistics Chair

Marie Perry

Cyber Security Analyst
Navy Federal
Chair of IT Gulf Coast

Carson Wilber

Penetration Tester
IBM X-Force Red
Marketing Chair / Secretary of ITGC

Patrick Rooney

Director
Co:Lab Pensacola
Sponsorship / Programming

Paris Harman

Intern/Grad Student
Navy Federal/Embry-Riddle
Public Relations

Kelly Reeser

Co-Founder, Managing Director
TechFarms Capital
Programming

Stephen Hopkins

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer
Cyber Justice League
Programming

Michelle Sims

Lead Employer Engagement Specialist
Public Consulting Group
Programming

Emily Cone

Account Manager
TEKsystems
Programming

Elizabeth Rasnick

Assistant Professor
UWF Center for Cybersecurity
Logistics

Alan Galindo

Business Services Representative
CareerSource EscaRosa
Programming

Benjamin Loader

Senior Lead Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
Programming