T homas W. McNeely
**** ***** **, ***********, ** 30506
(Cell) 678-***-****
(Home) 678-***-****
***********@*****.***
Professional Profile
Optical Networking expert with extensive customer-facing, field, and management experience and both a
start-up and large company background.
• •
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Creation and Delivery of Customer-Facing
• Sales and Technical Presentations
DWDM Optical Networks
•
• Preparation and Delivery of Technical
SONET, SDH Optical Protocols
• T raining Materials and Classes
1/10 GbE and Fibre Channel Optical
• Product Documentation Generation
T ransport
•
• Field Installation and Maintenance
Optical Network Design and Modeling
•
• Technical Support
RFP and Proposal Generation
•
• Product Development
Personnel and Team Management
•
• Lab Trials
Project Management
•
• Veteran Traveler
Development of Processes and Procedures
Professional Experience
Vello Systems, Menlo Park, CA
Manager, Systems Engineering
July 2009 – April 2014
Achievements:
• Founding Employee of Vello Systems out of OpVista
• Designed more than 100 optical networks for customers worldwide, including low-latency
H FT networks for New York financial firms, SDN-enabled Data Center interconnections
for Fortune 500 companies, Cable MSO optical transport networks, and high-availability
carrier networks
• Provided technical presentations to more than 50 potential and existing customers
• Co-developed two optical modeling tools – a first-generation Excel-based modeling tool
developed in-house, and a comprehensive graphical web-based network design and
simulator tool with integration into the VELLOS SDN platform
• Provided Field and Sales-level input on design of a new SDN-based optical platform
• Developed new standard models to simplify network design options
• Developed Vello’s network modeling training package on elements of optical design
Responsibilities:
• Managing worldwide Sales/Systems Engineering resources
• Collaboration on and approval of all network designs and proposals
• Project manager for development of a web-based optical network modeling and design tool
• Developing and delivering customer technical sales presentations
• Lead technical resource for Systems Engineering
• Maintenance and development of the company’s BOM Tool used to create equipment lists
and pricing for proposals
T homas W. McNeely • 678-***-****• ***********@*****.*** Page 2
• Mentoring and Training of new Systems Engineers
• Backup for Technical Support and Field Engineering
OpVista, I nc, M ilpitas, CA
Senior Sales Engineer
October 2007 – July 2009
Achievements:
• Managed customer relationships accounting for nearly 100% of company revenue at the
t ime (approximately $10M/year)
• Introduced new 40G Muxponder into service and developed the design criteria
• Instituted new coordination procedures with Field Engineering to smooth the transition
between pre- and post-sales responsibilities
Responsibilities:
• Primary Sales Engineer for the company’s largest account bases, two nationwide large
cable providers with 4-5 divisions each, plus numerous smaller accounts
• Customer engagement, presentations, designs, drawings, proposals, technical updates, and
t rials
• Liaison with Project Management and Field Engineering to transition projects from
conceptual to implementation stage
OpVista, I nc, M ilpitas, CA
Lead Field Engineer/Senior Customer Service Engineer
June 2005 – October 2007
Achievements:
• Managed teams of 5-10 engineers and contractors to install large regional networks in
K ansas, Arkansas, New England, Northeast Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
• Installed and commissioned more than 300 network elements
• Developed equipment installation protocols and trained engineers to these new standards
to improve network deployment quality and reliability
Responsibilities:
• Planning and executing installation and maintenance projects within scheduled time
f rames while upholding high customer expectations
• Developing Methods of Procedure (MOPs) detailing actions that will be taken during
i nstallation and maintenance activities
• Creating network documentation and drawings for customer records and technical support
• On-call technical support
• Field training of customer technicians and new engineers
Movaz Networks, Norcross, GA
Senior Customer Service/Systems Engineer
October 2001 – June 2005
Achievements:
• Installed metro and regional networks in the U.S, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan
• Project Managed a large $8M installation project stretching from New York to Virginia
T homas W. McNeely • 678-***-****• ***********@*****.*** Page 3
that took over one year to deploy, directing a team of over 15 engineers and contractors
• Installed and commissioned more than 500 network elements
• Developed in-house system benchmark protocols for staging equipment for final testing
before shipment
• Developed standards for diagramming and documenting network deployments
Responsibilities:
• Pre-staging network elements in the lab for quality control before shipment
• Planning and executing installation and maintenance projects within scheduled time
f rames while upholding high customer expectations
• Developing Methods of Procedure (MOPs) detailing actions that will be taken during
i nstallation and maintenance activities
• Creating network documentation and drawings for customer records and technical support
use
• On-call technical support
• Field training of customer technicians and new engineers
• Lab and field t rials of Movaz equipment
Nortel Networks, Alpharetta, GA
Manager, M a rket Development
June 2000 – October 2001
Achievements:
• Managed an RFP response that won a 30-city metro DWDM deployment for a major
carrier
• Managed an RFP response that won an optical ultra-long haul contract with a major
carrier
• Developed a business case and presentation for ultra-long haul optical transport
• Formulated generic business solution and product tutorial packages on Nortel Networks’
next-generation optical products to educate the sales force
Responsibilities:
• Account Marketing Prime on Request for Proposals (RFPs) responsible for the proposal’s
strategy, pricing, and network vision
• Account Technical Prime to offer technical expertise to the customer and to direct queries
to engineering and network planning as necessary
• Composing technical White Papers and descriptive presentations on specific product
features
• Promoting product design input to satisfy customer needs and requests
• Providing annual account market forecast to Nortel
Nortel Networks, Alpharetta, GA
Senior Systems Engineer
October 1994 – June 2000
Achievements:
• Performed lab t rials and first office deployments on new software releases and products in
customer labs and the field, including OC-3/12 and OC-48 TransportNode products, OC-
192 and OPTera LH 1600 platforms, OPTera Metro 3000 and 5200, and QTera ULH
p latforms
T homas W. McNeely • 678-***-****• ***********@*****.*** Page 4
• Wrote a simplified network commissioning document to ease customer Field installation
• Developed a targeted Field Installation training class for customer’s field technicians
• Provided technical responses for GTE transport RFP that led to establishment as a main
vendor and over $1B in sales.
Responsibilities:
• Primary Systems Engineer supporting the GTE and Genuity accounts
• Account Sales and Marketing technical Prime
• Technical expert on SONET and DWDM optical transport systems
• Support lab t rials and first office applications for new products and software
• Provide technical and product information presentations for customers
Education
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
M.S. in Electrical Engineering with Specialization in Systems and Controls, Digital Signal Processing,
and Telecommunications; minor in Physics.
June 1994
Furman University, Greenville, SC
B.S. Physics
May 1992