Microsoft Regional Director
Encyclopedia
The Microsoft Regional Director (RD) program is a community of independent developers, architects, trainers, and other professionals who form a vital link between Microsoft
and the developer
community. These technical experts provide insight and informed perspectives about Microsoft software development tools and technologies. Regional Directors are not Microsoft employees, nor are they monetarily-compensated by Microsoft. They are recognized by Microsoft for their technical expertise. Many Regional Directors are also Microsoft MVPs
.
As of Spring 2008, there were approximately 50 Regional Directors in the United States and 120 Regional Directors worldwide. Microsoft selects Regional Directors in geographic areas based on customer and developer density. Although "regional" appears in their title, Regional Directors are not bound by any set geographic boundaries.
In fact, most travel to evangelize their technologies. You will find Regional Directors speaking at conferences such as Tech Ed, PDC
, VSLive!, Dev Connections, Mix
, PASS
, and various user groups and Code Camps throughout the world.
program is broader in scope than the Regional Director program. Regional Directors tend to be experts focusing on software development tools and technologies, where MVPs can be experts in any of the numerous Microsoft product lines. Regional Directors also focus more on evangelizing the business and technical value of these technologies. Logistically speaking, there are far fewer Regional Directors than there are MVPs. MVPs number in the thousands, whereas there are around 120 Regional Directors.
. Occasionally, a Regional Director will hire on to Microsoft, in which case they immediately lose their membership in the program. When a Regional Director slot opens up, Microsoft looks at both internal and external nominations to locate a qualified candidate.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and the developer
Software developer
A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
community. These technical experts provide insight and informed perspectives about Microsoft software development tools and technologies. Regional Directors are not Microsoft employees, nor are they monetarily-compensated by Microsoft. They are recognized by Microsoft for their technical expertise. Many Regional Directors are also Microsoft MVPs
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional is the highest award given by Microsoft to those it considers "the best and brightest from technology communities around the world" who "actively share their ... technical expertise with the community and with Microsoft"...
.
As of Spring 2008, there were approximately 50 Regional Directors in the United States and 120 Regional Directors worldwide. Microsoft selects Regional Directors in geographic areas based on customer and developer density. Although "regional" appears in their title, Regional Directors are not bound by any set geographic boundaries.
In fact, most travel to evangelize their technologies. You will find Regional Directors speaking at conferences such as Tech Ed, PDC
Professional Developers Conference
Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference is a conference for software developers, normally Windows developers.It covers new and upcoming technology from Microsoft, and so only occurs in the years when there is something new to talk about...
, VSLive!, Dev Connections, Mix
MIX (Microsoft)
MIX is a Microsoft conference held annually for web developers and designers at which Microsoft showcases upcoming web technologies. The conference is held each spring at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas...
, PASS
Professional Association for SQL Server
The Professional Association for SQL Server, also known as PASS, is the global community for Microsoft SQL Server professionals. An independent, not-for-profit, user-run association, PASS was founded in 1999 with funds from Microsoft and Computer Associates...
, and various user groups and Code Camps throughout the world.
RD vs. MVP
The MVPMicrosoft Most Valuable Professional
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional is the highest award given by Microsoft to those it considers "the best and brightest from technology communities around the world" who "actively share their ... technical expertise with the community and with Microsoft"...
program is broader in scope than the Regional Director program. Regional Directors tend to be experts focusing on software development tools and technologies, where MVPs can be experts in any of the numerous Microsoft product lines. Regional Directors also focus more on evangelizing the business and technical value of these technologies. Logistically speaking, there are far fewer Regional Directors than there are MVPs. MVPs number in the thousands, whereas there are around 120 Regional Directors.
Commitment
The term of a Regional Director is two years. During that time they are expected to regularly engage with the software development community and Microsoft customers. This can take the form of speaking, training, writing, blogging, or podcastingPodcasting
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
. Occasionally, a Regional Director will hire on to Microsoft, in which case they immediately lose their membership in the program. When a Regional Director slot opens up, Microsoft looks at both internal and external nominations to locate a qualified candidate.
How the RD Program Got Started
The Regional Director (RD) Program at Microsoft officially started back in 1994 when a group of Visual Basic Users Group leaders met at a pool hall in Seattle and were proposed a novel approach to launching Developer products called DevDays. This was a day long event around the launch of a product that emulated a true "Community Driven" Users Group meeting. There was an original group of eight RD's. Since then the program grew beyond the DevDays concept to be a group of over 100 worldwide community Microsoft technical evangelists. This group of community leaders speak, write and participate in a myriad events centered on Microsoft technologies. Probably most importantly, this group of leaders holds no punches when telling Microsoft their candid ideas and feelings about their products and services!RD Managers
Since 1994, there have been several managers of the Microsoft Regional Director program.| Years | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1994 - 1995 | Mike Werner |
| 1996 - 1997 | Kostas Malios |
| 1998 | Jeffrey Walker |
| 1999 - 2001 | Jennifer Ritzinger |
| 2002 - 2004 | Eileen Crain |
| 2005 - Present | Kevin Schuler |
RD of the Year
| Year | RD |
|---|---|
| 1996 | John Coffey |
| 1997 | Dan Mezick |
| 1998 | Joe Homnick and Sten Sundblad |
| 1999 | Jackie Goldstein |
| 2002 | Ken Spencer |
| 2003 | Tim Huckaby |
| 2004 | Scott Hanselman, Paul Sheriff, Fun Jin Lim, Tomislav Bronzin, Adolfo Wiernik, Michele Leroux Bustamante, Carl Franklin, Kevin Schuler, Ken Getz, Jackie Goldstein,Kate Gregory, Juval Lowy, Scott Stanfield, Kimberly Tripp, Goksin Bakir, Clemens Vasters, Abdelmalek Kemmou |
| 2005 | Kate Gregory |
| 2006 | Mauro Sant'Anna |
| 2007 | Carl Franklin |
| 2008 | Andrew Brust |
| 2010 | Scott Stanfield |