Curriculum vitae as a short story...

1. At the MS-150 Waves to Wine, Sonoma, California - 09/13
My Life In Information
Technology Curriculum Vitae
Nick Noecker 2014

2. “We like to think we bring more to the table than
we take…but it never happens…you can’t work on
any engagement without acquiring more
knowledge, skill, and friendship than you had
before you arrived.”
–An IT Architect somewhere in space

3. Baptism by fire…
From Wall ST to IT
My time spent on Wall Street after college
had me experiencing the dystopian world
of IPOs, hedge funds, junk bonds, bank
failures, and Liars Poker. It was the
ultimate apprenticeship in human nature.
I admit—I loved it. Yet when the chance
came along to start a software business, I
jumped. A few years later IBM came
knocking. Resistance is futile. Things
suddenly got serious.
From the window of a Hilton—a consultant’s home away from home

4. The Tao of Information Technology
IBM Corp,
1996-2009
I was fortunate to be hired by IBM a
couple years after its near-death
experience. If you ever have the chance to
join a company in the throes of a do-or-die
transformation…do it. You’ll experience
things you won’t believe, work with
courageous originals, and get to ride a
Phoenix rising from the ashes. It’ll be the
experience of a lifetime…a hundred
lifetimes. It was for me.
From the “Tolerance” installation on Allen Parkway in Houston

5. “Take the tour…”
A Firm In Full
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came
from an IBM executive early in my career there:
“Take the tour. You won’t believe the depth and
breadth of this company. It’ll change you forever.”
So I did. And he was so right. You almost can’t nose
around for even an hour in IBM without seeing
something astounding or picking up a new skill or
both. IBM trains the street and the street regularly
hands IBM its head in the ritual competition for
customers. There’s no better evidence of IBM’s
fullness than all the talented people in IT today who
once worked at IBM. I’m proud to be one of them.
The very rocky eastern shore of Isla Mujeres, Mexico

6. There And Back Again at IBM
❖ From Project Manager to Senior Architect in
Global Services to Worldwide Industry Solutions
Executive in Sales & Distribution
❖ Worldwide Sales Liason to IBM Research for
Energy & Utilities working on emerging
business opportunities (EBOs)
❖ Worldwide Manager for Industry Solutions in
IBM Software Group creating industry solution
frameworks and go to market strategies
❖ 4 Invention Awards and 2 U.S. Patents with 10
Disclosures
❖ Return to Global Business Services Consulting as
Associate Partner and Chief Architect in the
Energy & Utilities Practice
❖ All in 13 years…even now, it’s difficult to fathom
all that I learned there…time flew.
Start
Finish
Utilities
Consulting
Sales
Software
Research
Insurance
Pipelines
Natural Gas
Trading Floor
Houston Energy
University of
Energy
Media &
Entertainment
Wall Street
Department
Energy
The of

7. Time waits for no one…
The Yucatán,
2009-2011
If you’re lucky, at a certain point in your tour at IBM the
opportunity comes along to take early retirement and do
something totally different. If you get that chance and the
package and timing are right…do it. I did and it was one
of the best decisions I ever made. For me, it was serving on
the board of a non-profit for the first time…and playing
CIO for the first time. But the Big First was the field work
with Mayan people in the Yucatán. The organization is
called Brazos Abiertos (“Open Arms”) and they wrote the
book on HIV education and outreach for Mayan youths.
My wife and daughter encouraged me to join their mission
and take a walk through the ruins with them. Sometimes
you just have to close your eyes and go. You never know…
A walk through ancient Mayan ruins in Cobá with a very wise woman

8. There’s no place like home…
IT & Me, 2011-?
Information technology has always fascinated me so it’s
no surprise that I never left it…even when I left it.
Ironically, I became deeply involved with social tech and
the cloud when I was wearing my CIO hat with Brazos
Abiertos and within a couple years of leaving IBM I was
back in the fray working with smaller firms. The
problems are the same, only the scale is different…yet
with the advent of social and the cloud, even small
business has planetary scale. And you can have a big
impact on a small business when you bring a brand of
consulting from a larger world. I love information
technology consulting…it can change the world, it feeds
my soul, and takes me to the most fascinating places.
Ranch road in Waller County, Texas found on a motorcycle ride

9. “Take lemons and make lemonade.”
–Margaret Noecker
Her motto for life. Margaret’s never-ending
encouragement to her teachers, students, staff,
parents, and all her friends was the secret ingredient
in her lemonade. And she made a lot of lemonade.

10. All Photos & Content © Me