Chris Launey

Chris Launey has a diverse work experience spanning various roles and responsibilities. Chris started their career as a Systems Administrator at Prudential Americana Group, REALTORS, where they provided primary systems and network support. Following that, they ventured into entrepreneurship and founded their own business, Entropy Computer. As the owner/principal, they managed hardware and software sales, consulting, integration, and contract IT services. Chris then joined The Walt Disney Company in 2002, taking on roles such as Senior Online Systems Administrator, Manager of the Service Operations Center, Senior Manager of Data Center & Storage Services, and eventually Director of Cloud Services & Architecture. During their tenure at Disney, they led consolidation and virtualization programs, built integration platforms and customer portals, and launched an OpenStack-based private cloud. Currently, Chris is working as a Principal Engineer, IOT at Starbucks, where they collaborate with various teams to drive business value from IOT technologies. Throughout their career, Chris has demonstrated strong leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to drive successful technology initiatives.

Chris Launey attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans from 1985 until 1990. Following that, they pursued a degree in Chemical Engineering from Caltech from 1990 to 1992. Later, they completed their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 1992 to 1995. In 2021, they obtained the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification from (ISC)².