Mike Keppler, 2009 Honoree
- Title
- Senior vice president of information resources, sales, marketing & revenue management systems
- Employer
- Marriott International Inc.
- Location
- Bethesda, , Md.
- First job:
- "Mowing lawns in the neighborhood at 14. Money went right to a great 10-speed bike."
- Most valuable career advice:
- "Be your true self in all situations. It allows others to know the ?whole you.'Ê"
- Title you'd like to hold someday:
- "Special Olympics baseball coach, and maybe, part-time CIO."
- What do you love about IT?
- "The complexity of matching absurd demands and opportunities with great ideas and great people who can make it real."
- People you'd invite to your dream dinner party:
- Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy
- Your recreational best:
- "An 88-minute sprint triathlon (one-third-mile swim, 10-mile bike, 5K run). The winner does it in 66 minutes!"
- In high school, I should have been voted "Most Likely to .Ê.Ê."
- "live ?down the shore' in New Jersey."
- Favorite book:
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
- Favorite movie:
- Groundhog Day
- What about you would surprise the people you work with?
- "I irreverently ran across the top of the tape drives in celebration of my last day at a data center. My manager called me into his office (handshake and thanks?) and shared the security tape and a few solid lessons. Still got the job after graduation!"
- Leadership philosophy in a nutshell:
- "My philosophy is a hybrid of coaching my team and collaborating with business partners. In addition to ensuring that the right people are on the team, it's critical to establish a strong relationship with business partners at all levels and cultivate th