About Gunnar Hellekson

I also have more official-sounding bio and a headshot for conferences or speaking engagements.

I’m the Chief Technology Strategist for Red Hat’s US Public Sector group, where I work with systems integrators and government agencies to encourage the use of open source software in government.  I’m a founder of Open Source for America, one of Federal Computer Week’s Fed 100 for 2010, and I’ve been voted one of the FedScoop 50 for industry leadership. I’m a member of the Military Open Source working group, the SIIA Software Division Board, the Board of Directors for the Public Sector Innovation Group, the Open Technology Fund Advisory Council, and New America’s California Civic Innovation Project Advisory Council. I perk up when people talk about cross-domain security, edge innovation, and interagency collaboration through the open source model. I am co-host of the Dave and Gunnar Show and the FedOSS podcast.

Prior to joining Red Hat, I worked as a developer, systems administrator, and IT director for a series of internet businesses. I’ve also been a business and IT consultant to not-for-profit organizations in New York City. During that time, I spearheaded the reform of safety regulations for New York State’s electrical utilities following the tragic death of Jodie Lane.

When I’m not spreading the Good News about open source, I’m wishing I had a dogenjoying time with my dog. Oh, and I got married in October.

Contact Information

My email is my first name at my last name, dot com. That’s the best way to reach me. I’m also “ghelleks” on IRC (freenode) and the usual IM networks. You can find what I’m reading on Goodreads, what I’m saying on Twitter, what I’m coding on GitHub, and what I’m listening to on last.fm. I’m also on LinkedIn, Tumblr and Google+, but don’t post anything there you can’t already find here. I am not on Facebook. Buy me a cocktail, and I’ll tell you why.

Speaking Engagements

I spend a great deal of time giving presentations, participating on panels, and so forth. I keep a list of my upcoming events so you can stalk me, if you like.