Shane Collier

Technologist, Scientist, Explorer

Here there be giants…

William Bill Fuller – The first supervisor or manager you look up to becomes the one you emulate. I am fortunate that individual for me was Bill Fuller. He provided support, opportunities, and training. Bill, along with Paul Barton, started my career and set high standards to follow.

Paul Barton – A real mentor who taught me to program computers, then how to become a developer, without this guidance and patience who knows where life would have taken me.

Dr. Randall Davis – Taught me the actual meaning of being a scientist and opened the door to Antarctica.

Dr. William Bill Evans– the former NOAA Administrator, who taught me to Keep the Faith… A true friend and mentor, he is missed. This statement says it better than I ever could: NOAA Tribute

William Bill Sargent – Showed me state government can still have integrity, a true public servant.

Henry Norris – Taught me to navigate the political ins and outs of state government.

Kyle Larson – What can I say. True friendship lasts. He is also a mentor on software development processes and outsourcing. He made sure I stayed technically current during the lost years.

Kim Beach – Manager at 3M.com responsible for online strategy, user experience, operations and more. Kim taught me that being apolitical is a politic. By operating as a genuine partner, and setting a collaborative tone, he demonstrated and ingrained in me how much more effective an actual partner relationship is than a competitive one.

Kay Colcleasure – From a small one system, TI-990, computer room at the Texas Instruments' (TI) Gaston Avenue facility to the large-scale facilities at TI's (now Raytheon) McKinney TX location, my career grew in parallel with Kay's. She was the lead operator at each of many TI sites where I worked. She taught me how to reliably operate and maintain computing facilities on a truly industrial scale.

Dr. Bernd Würsig – Opened the doors of marine mammal research for me. Served as a scientific mentor, provided opportunities for field research, and started my career in marine biology.

Andrew Andy Schiro – A true friend, who became a brother, showed me how to face cancer and death with courage and dignity.

Rich Tobaben– Gave me the opportunity to manage and operate large-scale computing facilities. He taught me to manage projects at the division level and how to coordinate these activities with other organizations at the corporate level. Finally, he encouraged and then supported, my return to college. Like so many others on this list, it is hard to say where I would be without him.

Dr. Keith Pennypacker – For believing in me.

Ed Deep – Taught me that being a cast member at Disney is about more than showing up on time. It is about dedication to a philosophy. He taught me to be the best public speaker I could be, not merely presenting information, but how to perform it.