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Marcus is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of industry experience spanning management, engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations with a focus on data centers and advanced technology sectors.

He is a recognized data center industry Thought Leader with an ardent understanding of the nature of the critical environment and its reliance on the design, construction and commissioning of its technology and facility infrastructure systems and the proper training and readiness of its operations staff to successfully deliver on its fundamental business mission.

Marcus has authored trade articles and served as an event speaker / panelist on design, energy efficiency, sustainability, and operational best practices in the mission critical environment. He is an Uptime Institute Network Member Principal, Contributor to the Data Center Dynamics Management and Operations Channel, and Board Member of the Carolinas Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange, serving as the organization's Thought Leadership Committee Chairman.

Marcus was appointed in 2021 as Chair of the ASHRAE SSPC 90.4 Energy Standard for Data Centers Committee. He is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and joined Truist in 2021 as Mission Critical Operations Group Manager.

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Rick is the VP of Solutions Architecture for Equinix across the Americas and have developed and successfully managed an elite team of 50 senior architects and over 300 data center and critical infrastructure personnel. Rick was also previously the Senior Vice President at Comdisco where he managed ten large data centers simultaneously.

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As Senior Director of State & Local Affairs, Emily works with state and local government entities, as well as interested policymakers, to provide resources and support in the shared pursuit of reducing climate impacts in the built environment. By working closely with local decision makers to open markets to GBI tools, Emily ensures that communities have access to innovative resources, relationships, and strategies that help promote their sustainable goals.

Emily comes to GBI with a background in housing, labor, and lighting design policy, and has nearly a decade of experience working in advocacy, outreach, and government affairs. She is passionate about fostering policies that impact the built environment, and prior to GBI, worked to advance lighting quality, energy efficiency, and the adoption of codes and guidelines that promote sustainability for an international association based out of Chicago, Illinois.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Shawn Novak has served as the Chief Revenue Officer at TECfusions since March 2024. Previously, Shawn served as an Advisor at nZero from September 2021 to present, helping organizations manage emissions and lower operational costs using proprietary software for real-time emission tracking. He was President at Redivider from September 2023 to March 2024, leading market expansion and revenue growth initiatives, focusing on delivering pre-fabricated data centers with quick delivery times. Before that, he was EVP of Strategic Solutions at Switch from June 2019 to August 2021, and Vice President at CBRE from April 2014 to June 2019, leading consulting engagements for data center mission-critical facilities strategies and solutions nationwide.

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