MVP Reconnect: A Brand New Community for MVPs!
MVP Reconnect is here, and we can’t wait to have you back on board.
Last week, Microsoft Chief Evangelist and CVP Steve "Guggs" Guggenheimer announced an exciting new program for former MVPs - MVP Reconnect. We know that many of our former MVPs miss the dynamic and unique technical expert MVP community - and so cue the dramatic drum roll: This is the program for you!
MVP Reconnect is now the official way for former MVPs to stay in touch with Microsoft and other community leaders. It is a fully collaborative program between the community and Microsoft, and there will be a whole range of benefits.
Through MVP Reconnect you can:
- Join an exclusive global network of former MVPs
- Attend events and hear about local and international offerings
- Take part in private discussions
- Share your MVP experiences
- Learn from and coach other members of the community
We are calling out there all former MVPs to join the program. And so far, the response has been overwhelming. In just one week, about 800 people requested to join the program!
“All former MVPs, regardless of their technical expertise or award category, are invited to [the] program”
- Steven Guggenheimer
MVP Reconnect acknowledges the importance of all our former MVPs, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for all our top people to continue contributing, collaborating learning and connecting. And, members of the community are already getting started. The first MVP Reconnect Happy Hour took place in Bellevue, Washington this week during the MVP Global Summit. More than 30 people, former and current MVPs, as well as Microsoft employees, got together to discuss the MVP community and the future of the program. More opportunities like this are coming up soon.
What our MVPs have been saying Arnie Rowland, a consultant, mentor, Data Platform MVP and advisory board member, said:
"I’ve long been concerned that when folks transition out of active MVP status, they often seem to become less visible, and perhaps may even feel ‘tossed aside.’ In reality, it is often due to a myriad of personal and professional reason, and yet they still contribute a lot to their technical communities."
Arnie went on to say that he was pleased to be involved with the MVP Reconnect Program and would be “helping to set the stage for an extended community, providing continuity to the MVP Program by creating new opportunities and channels for a lifetime of contribution and acknowledgement, and increased visibility for Reconnect members.”
Former MVP and board member Kathy Jacobs echoed these sentients when she said:
"MVP Reconnect is giving those of us who are retired MVPs a place to gather, a platform to talk, and a way to fill the hole left when we retired from the program. Since I retired in 2013, I have had a missing piece in my life… Now, as a Reconnect member, I feel more connected to the company and the products. I am hoping that as the program grows the product teams will use Reconnect members as resources."
Former Silverlight and Windows Platform Development MVP Davide Zordan, a senior software engineer and consultant, told us that he had signed up to keep in touch more closely with other MVP friends, as well as to collaborate in community activities.
"I have been pleasantly surprised to learn about the MVP Reconnect program: I think that lot of former MVPs are continuing their community contributions since they are driven by passion for technology and willing to help others. Reconnect permits to keep them in touch with the program and continue to interact with Microsoft representatives / other MVPs which are essential for maintaining a healthy community."
Sign up for MVP Reconnect now!
We’re buzzing with excitement here at the MVP Awards Blog. We can’t wait to reconnect with YOU - so sign up to MVP Reconnect now!
If you’re not an MVP yet, but think you could qualify, check out What it takes to be an MVP right here.