Infrastructure Masons Announces Joint Winners of 2021 Education Champion Award

BEAVERTON, Ore., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At their virtual annual awards celebration held Dec. 15, Infrastructure Masons announced Phillip Marangella, Chheng Lim, and Bill Kleyman as joint winners of iMasons Education Champion Award.

The iMasons Education Champion Award typically recognizes an individual who has demonstrated the importance of bridging the talent gap in the digital infrastructure industry. In a rare move, iMasons awarded three joint winners this year. Phillip Marangella, Chief Marketing Officer of EdgeConneX, Chheng Lim, Associate at Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, and Bill Kleyman, EVP of Digital Solutions at Switch, were jointly recognized for their volunteer work over a period of two years to mentor the pilot Capstone student team at Hampton University last year, and then to carry the Capstone Project to three new universities this last fall. In the 2021/22 academic year these champions are supporting Capstone Projects at Hampton University, Morgan State, Prairie View A&M, and UT El Paso, all minority-serving institutions.

"The Capstone project is so compelling because it gives teams of students the unique knowledge and skills to thrive in our industry." said Lim. "It has been so rewarding, and fun, to watch the students learn and grow. Plus, I got to work with Bill and Phillip, who are some of the smartest guys I know – these guys are just the best!"

"This award means more to me than many would ever know." said Kleyman. "I'm genuinely honored and humbled to receive this honor with Chheng and Phillip. It has been a wonderful experience! Thanks to the educators, the industry mentors, and especially to the students for working with us to build such a bright and amazing future." Marangella added "It really has been about the students, first and foremost. Plus the experience of working with Chheng and Bill and the other mentors has been so rewarding. The fact that we hired two of the Hampton students from last year into EdgeConnex is proof that this program is delivering diverse talent to our industry."

iMasons launched the $1M Education Challenge in London in Nov 2018 to provide scholarships to students enrolling for courses that could lead to a career in Digital Infrastructure.  Since then the organization has raised over $853,000 to create scholarships for students interested in entering or growing in our industry.

The three winners were celebrated alongside other finalists who are doing exemplary work to bring new talent into our industry:

• Skyler Holloway, Technical Products and Programs, Switch 
• George Rockett, CEO and Co-founder, Datacenter Dynamics
• Lee Smith, DataCenterDNA 
• Wendi Runyon, Vice President Strategy and Innovation, Schneider Electric

ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE MASONS
Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a non-profit, professional association of technology and business leaders who represent over $150Bn in infrastructure projects in over 130 countries. The organization is guided by an Advisory Council comprised of global leaders who manage some of the largest digital infrastructure portfolios in the world. The iMasons vision is to Unite the Builders of the Digital Age by enabling our global membership to Connect, Grow, and Give Back. Members leave their companies at the door and connect as individuals. IMasons has four strategic industry priorities – increase Awareness, enhance Education opportunities, champion Diversity & Inclusion, and inspire Sustainability through deep member engagement. Visit the website at www.imasons.org.

SOURCE Infrastructure Masons