My Role is Changing

I'm changing what I'm doing at work. A slightly edited version (basically, I don't refer to people with their last names in my blog unless I know in advance it's okay) of my announcement to that effect is below:

Things change, and now is one of those times. It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I am transitioning out of my role in the Windows Server community engagement initiative, effective immediately. I am now feature program manager in Chris ...’s newly formed Server Feedback Systems team. The SFS team is building the new replacement for Betaplace, Windows Beta, and the JDP/TAP web portal under the code name Taranna.

This is a natural extension of the work I've done over the past several months on verbatim product feedback, a pillar of the Zephyr project many of you have heard me discuss in conversation and presentation. It is work vital to the future of Windows Server in a time where customers expect the responsiveness that comes from a direct channel between them and our product teams. I am excited to have an opportunity to contribute to enabling this connection, and I’m looking forward to using and refining product planning skills that have mostly sat idle during my eighteen months at Microsoft so far.

At the same time, it is with reluctance that I turn over our community engagement effort to other hands, although that reluctance is tempered by the knowledge that those hands are very capable. I had reduced my time on community over the past six months in order to get Zephyr up and running. During that time, the bulk of the work fell to Chandana ..., who has performed extremely well and made community at least as much hers as it has been mine. I am passing the torch to her now, confident that she will carry it forward and will see to it that we continue to succeed in this space.


Chandana will now be in the newly reorganized Customer Connection team and will be reporting to Linda ..., whose work leading the TAP program will likely be well known to many of you. I will be working with Linda and Chandana over the next few weeks to insure as painless a transition as possible. I encourage those of you on our partner teams to find time to introduce yourselves and your community related activities to Linda as soon as possible.


It has been a great pleasure to work on community and bring a stronger sense of connection to the customer for Windows Server product teams, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity. This new challenge, though, promises to be a great opportunity as well and so, I must move on.