Brent Ozar - Brent Ozar is a SQL Server Domain Expert based in the Houston area with Quest Software. Brent has a decade of broad IT experience, performing systems administration and project management before moving into database administration. In his current role, Brent specializes in performance tuning, disaster recovery and automating SQL Server management. Previously, Brent spent 2 years at Southern Wine & Spirits a Miami-based wine & spirits distributor. Brent has experience conducting training sessions, has written several technical articles, and blogs prolifically at www.brentozar.com

Eric Johnson - Eric Johnson (MCSE, MCITP: Database Administrator, MCSD) is a co-founder of Consortio Services, and the primary Database Technologies Consultant. He also a Microsoft MVP in SQL Server and a host of the weekly podcast series CS TechCast (cstechcast.com). Currently he works for IntrinsiQ as a database developer. His background in Information Technology is diverse, ranging from operating systems and hardware to specialized applications and development. He has even done his fair share of work on networks. Since IT is really just a way to support business processes, he has also acquired his MBA. All in all, he has 10 years of experience with IT, a great amount of which has been working with Microsoft SQL Server. Eric has managed and designed databases of all shapes and sizes. He has delivered numerous SQL Server training classes and webcasts as well as presentations at national technology conferences.

Jason Strate - Jason Strate, Digineer Inc, has been a Database Architect for over ten years. His experiences include designing and implementing both OLAP and OLTP solutions involving clustering servers, database monitoring and tuning, analysis services, DTS/Integration Services, Reporting Services, and Notification Services. Jason is actively involved with the local PASS chapter (SQL Server User Group); he is currently serving on the Executive Board and has presented at monthly meetings. Recently, Jason contributed to Microsoft's published white paper "Empowering Enterprise Solutions with SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition and actively blogs about SQL Server and related technologies.

Buck Woody - Buck Woody has been working with Information Technology since 1981. He has worked for the U.S. Air Force, at an IBM reseller as technical support, and for NASA as well as U.S. Space Command as an IT contractor. He has worked in most all IT positions from computer repair technician to system and database administrator, and from network technician to IT Manager. But it is the database field he always returns to. He has been a DBA and Database Developer on everything from an Oracle system running on a VAX to SQL Server and DB2 installations. Buck has a business degree and several industry certifications, including MCSE, MCDBA and Brainbench DBA. He is the author of over 300 SQL Server articles and four published SQL Server books; he is the site personality on InformIT.com's SQL web, and was the President of the Tampa SQL User's Group for 5 years. He was awarded the Microsoft MVP Award in 2006 for SQL Server, and started work in the SQL Server Team at Microsoft a year later. He has over twenty years extensive professional and practical experience in computer networks and network design. Experienced in design and management of business and technical systems, as well as marketing and training those systems to the user community and corporate officers.

Kathi Kellenberger - Kathi Kellenberger, SQL Server MVP, has been a database administrator for Bryan Cave LLP since 2002. She is a frequent columnist for SQLServerCentral.com and SQLTeam.com. Kathi is co-author of "Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services" and author of several articles in SQL Server Standard Magazine. She is a volunteer with PASS, Professional Association for SQL Server, and serves as Program Manager for the 2008 Summit. Recent projects include authoring test questions for ReviewNet and teaching a T-SQL class for End to End Training.

Hilary Cotter - Hilary Cotter is a NJ Based SQL Server MVP with over 20 years experience in IT. He specializes in SQL Server Replication, Full-Text Search and query tuning. Hilary has written a book on SQL Server replication, and is working on a book on SQL Server 2008 Administration and SQL Server 2008 Full-Text search. You can find Hilary Cotter on the msdn forums or Microsoft nntp newgroups where he has answered over 17,000 questions - some of them correctly.

Paul Nielsen - Paul is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and author of SQL Server 2008 Bible. Paul focuses on data architecture and the design and development of high-transaction OLTP databases. As an architect, Paul developed Nordic O/R DBMS (Microsoft Architecture Journal No. 8.) As a performance tuning and optimization consultant, Paul has helped scores of organizations improve their databases and he recently designed and coded a database that runs at 35K tps. As a speaker and trainer, Paul has guided thousands as they learn SQL Server technologies both in-person, through his writings, and through his video courses. Paul speaks at SQL Server user groups and most SQL Server conferences - PASS Summit, Microsoft Tech Ed Dev, SQL Open World (Denmark), and SQL Teach (Canada). Paul serves the SQL Server community on the PASS Board of Directors, and organizes the annual Colorado PASSCamp. Paul participated in the development of Microsoft Certification exams for SQL Server 2008.

Josh Jones - Joshua Jones is co-owner and Database\Operating Systems Consultant with Consortio Services in Colorado Springs, CO. There he provides training, administration, analysis, and design support for customers utilizing SQL Server 2000 and 2005. In his 7 years as an IT professional, he worked in multiple areas of Information Technology including Windows desktop support, Windows 2000 and 2003 server infrastructure design and support (AD, DNS, MS Exchange), telephony switch support, and network support. Josh has spoken at various PASS sponsored events about SQL Server topics such as 64-bit SQL Server Implementation, Reporting Services Administration, and Performance Tuning. He's been published in Redmond Magazine, Redmond Developer News, and Visual Studio magazine. He is currently co-authoring a data modeling book with Eric Johnson, available from Addison-Wesley, 1st half 2008.

Ted Malone - Ted Malone is currently Product Strategy Architect for Configuresoft, Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified ISV Partner. At Configuresoft, Ted is responsible for incorporating leading edge technology into the company's flagship product line, Enterprise Configuration Manager. Ted is also responsible for the Configuration Intelligence Analytics product, which uses the entire business intelligence stack (SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Microsoft Office Performance Point Server 2007) from Microsoft to deliver leading-edge business intelligence for Information Technology managers and executives. Ted has been working with SQL Server Technologies since version 1.0 (Yes, there really was a SQL Server 1.0) and has worked as an Administrator, Developer, Trainer and Architect.

Thomas LaRock - Thomas LaRock is a seasoned IT professional with over a decade of technical and management experience. Currently serving as a database administration manager with ING Investment Management, Thomas has progressed through several roles at ING, including programmer, analyst, and DBA. Prior to ING, he worked at several software and consulting companies, working at customer sites in the United States and abroad. Thomas holds a MS degree in Mathematics from Washington State University and is a member of the Usability Professional's Association. Thomas is also a member of Quest's Association of SQL Server Experts, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), and is a SQL Server MVP

Kevin Kline - Kevin Kline is the Technical Strategy Manager for SQL Server Solutions at Quest Software. A Microsoft SQL Server MVP since 2004, Kevin is a founding board member and past president of the international Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS). He has written or co-written several books including SQL in a Nutshell (O'Reilly & Associates), Pro SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization (APress) and Database Benchmarking: Practical Methods for Oracle & SQL Server (Rampant). Kevin contributes to SQL Server Magazine and Database Trends & Applications and blogs at SQLBlog.com and SQLMag.com. Kevin is a top rated speaker at conferences worldwide such as Microsoft TechEd, the PASS Community Summit, Microsoft IT Forum, DevTeach, and SQL Connections, and has been active in the IT industry since 1986.

Chris Shaw, Conference Chair - Chris is a SQL Server MVP and started working with SQL Server in 1995 and continues with it to this day. His career has taken him from a Yellow Pages publishing company to Wells Fargo and mortgage companies like Pulte Mortgage. Chris has enjoyed speaking and writing about SQL Server for the last 10 years. The combination of speaking and writing was his guide in becoming the Site Manager for SSWUG.ORG. Chris has been active in the SQL Server Community for a number of years including being the founder of the Colorado Springs SQL Server User Group and speaking as the SSWUG content chair, not only at SSWUG Conferences but at Dev Connections as well. Chris's writings can be found on SSWUG.org, his blog (chrisshaw.wordpress.com) and in the SQL Server 2005 Bible.

Stephen Wynkoop - Stephen is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and the founder of SSWUG.ORG. He writes a daily column and newsletter on the site and produces a weekly SQL Server video program on the site. Stephen is the author of more than 12 books translated into 7 languages around the world. Stephen has spoken at numerous technology conferences and reports regularly on the happenings in the technology world.