New chapter starting in my professional life

My 11 year career at Nationwide ends on January 8, 2010 and I start as the Senior Manager of Databases at OCLC on January 11, 2010. I am so excited about the move, although I will miss all the wonderful relationships at Nationwide, I think fondly on all the accomplishments I delivered and know the time is right to make a move.

You can see my history of experience at http://www.jeffreycwallace.com, soon I will update it with my accomplishments at OCLC, I plan to hit the ground running and learning as rapidly as I can! Follow me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin/in/jeffwallace and join my network.

Springsteen turned 60 today

Growing up one of my fondest memories was my father playing Born To Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town over and over on his turntable. He explained to me that Bruce is an icon and will change music forever, much like Elvis did to his generation.

I was probably around 10 in the mid 70's when I first heard Thunder Road and it continues to be my go to song. When my son was young and difficult to put down to sleep, I would sing Thunder Road softly to him until he drifted off. He is 5 now and started requesting songs from Brilliant Disguise about 18 months ago, makes a father very proud that he is exhibiting the same taste as I, only at a much younger age! When we got him his first mp3 player, all he wanted was the theme to Scooby-Doo and 3 Springsteen songs.

I have seen Bruce 3 times and my favorite memory was watching him come out from a short break at The Schottenstein Center on the campus of The Ohio State University and perform Thunder Road solo with a steel guitar. Still brings chills when I think about it. No matter where I am or what I am doing in life, Thunder Road can calm me and bring me to a "Happy Place".

Happy Birthday Bruce, hopefully I get to see you again soon. Thanks for the memories.

Gladden Community House Gala At Ohio Stadium 091709

I spent the evening tonight, September 17, 2009 at a fundraiser for Gladden Community House at "The Shoe", home of The Ohio State University Buckeyes and TBDBITL as the feature performers. As a member of the Board for Gladden, our inaugural event was a huge success by all members.

Over 200 attendees were privileged to listen to the community service Gladden provides to the people of Franklinton, on the near West side of Columbus Ohio. A live auction was held for 2 attendees to sit with the band during a skull session then the Wisconsin game with the band! The bidding was active enough that 2 sets of seats were auctioned off.

A silent auction was also conducted all evening with features such as dinner for 10 in your home prepared by a chef from the Cameron Mitchell restaurants, a tailgate pack that included a custom made corn hole game, coolers, cozy's and beverages, a signed Jim Tressel football and much more. The frenzy continued until told to set down their pens for their bids.

The crowd then was ushered out to the stadium and the 50 yard line where the band performed across the field, script Ohio. Carmen Ohio, The Can-Can and many, many more for over 30 minutes. There is not a sight to be seen anywhere than a personal performance by Dr. Wood and The Best Damn Band In The Land (TBDBITL), they never missed a beat and everyone joined in to yell OH-IO each time needed.

This inaugural gala will continue annually, hope to see you all next year! See some of the photos at http://gladdengala.shutterfly.com/.



Jeff Wallace
Board Member
Gladden Community House

Pep Talks Event at Tech Columbus 043009

I attended the 2nd Pep Talks event at Tech Columbus last evening in Columbus, and walked away incredibly impressed with the speakers, the organizer and especially the level of talent from the student community.

Pawan Murthy is the creator of this event and in both sessions has brought together a wonderful group of local, diverse leaders from the community to discuss their career lessons and how to strive for a work/life balance. Whether you are a student or a 20 year seasoned leader, each speakers unique view and experience made the 2 hours fly by.

Best way to find these types of events is at http://www.meetup.com/techlifecolumbus/ where you find a host of local technology events, the holy grail of such events in Central Ohio. The Pep Talks is found at http://thepeptalks.com/ and videos of the 1st session are available with the 04/30/09 session forthcoming. I highly recommend viewing and attending future sessions to provide an opportunity to network with local students, fun times.