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James Demetrius Gounaris
Phoenix,AZ
Work Preference
Summary
Results-driven Collaboration Architect with over 10 years of experience designing secure enterprise ecosystems for federal defense and critical infrastructure. Expertise in architecting Microsoft 365 GCC High, Teams, Slack, and Zoom environments compliant with FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, CMMC, HIPAA, and Zero Trust frameworks. Delivered zero-downtime migrations and strengthened security posture through automation and disciplined change control.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
3
3
Certification
Work History
Family Caregiver
10.2024 - Current
- Provided full-time care for elderly parent while coordinating family relocation, ensuring stability during transition
- Expanded expertise in Microsoft 365 GCC High, enterprise security architecture, Zero Trust frameworks, and federal compliance standards to enhance organizational compliance and security posture
- Maintained active professional development in cloud modernization, automation, collaboration security, and critical infrastructure resiliency strategies
Principal / Senior Solutions Architect
Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding
Newport News, Virginia
05.2024 - 10.2024
- Spearheaded modernization initiatives to enable secure collaboration in regulated environments.
- Designed architectures for Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom compliant with FedRAMP and NIST standards.
- Consolidated collaboration platforms to enhance operational consistency and reduce sprawl.
- Developed automation solutions that streamlined operations, decreasing workload by 30 to 40 percent.
- Collaborated with engineering teams to define technical requirements and perform design reviews.
- Managed multiple projects with a focus on rigorous quality assurance throughout all processes.
- Adopted microservices and API-first strategies to improve system modularity.
- Conducted post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and recommend enhancements.
Senior Systems Architect / Teams SME
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HPE
Austin, Texas
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Led enterprise collaboration and voice architecture for mission-critical communication environments, enhancing reliability and efficiency
- Managed cross-functional teams in the execution of architectural projects, ensuring timely delivery.
- Reduced operational incidents by approximately 20% through modernization and automation initiatives
- Increased Microsoft Secure Score by approximately 15% through governance and security optimization
- Collaborated with infrastructure, networking, and security teams to enhance resiliency and stabilize operations
- Streamlined processes for system deployment, enhancing efficiency across project lifecycles.
- Resolved complex technical issues related to the system architecture in a timely manner.
- Collaborated with professionals to develop suggested architecture and cultivate implementation.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry developments in order to recommend appropriate technology solutions that meet business objectives.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate software and hardware systems effectively.
M365 / Teams Voice Architect
Meijer
Grand Rapids, Michigan
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Led Microsoft Teams and UCaaS transformation initiatives to enhance secure enterprise communications
- Reduced phishing and spam-related support tickets by approximately 25% through implementation of enhanced collaboration security strategies
- Supported governance, compliance, and operational resiliency initiatives across collaboration environments
- Implemented automation to decrease manual administrative overhead and streamline operational processes
- Ensured adherence to enterprise change control and documentation standards
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop sustainable building solutions.
- Leveraged Agile methodologies to move development lifecycle rapidly through initial prototyping to enterprise-quality testing and final implementation.
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Business Management
Queensborough Community College
Bayside, NYSkills
- Patient companionship
- Elderly care
- Daily living support
- Care plan adherence
- At-home care
- Active listening
- Compassionate care
- Legal guardianship
- Errand running
- Empathetic listening
- Microsoft 365
- Geriatric care
- Meal preparation
- Mobility assistance
- Transportation assistance
- Nutritional planning
- Equipment operation
- Direct patient care
- Problem-solving
- Supportive companionship
- Transportation services
- Home safety assessment
- Records management
- Physical therapy support
- Recreational activities
- Social interaction
- Emotional support
- Flexible schedule and availability
- Safety awareness
- Documentation
- Records management
- Records maintenance
- Verbal and written communication
- Communication effectiveness
- Team collaboration
- Adaptability to change
- Professional development
- Change management
- Collaboration design
- Technical documentation
- Change management processes
- Compliance frameworks
- Governance frameworks
- Risk assessment
- Infrastructure management
- Infrastructure resiliency
- Operational resiliency
- High availability
- Disaster recovery
- Automation and ChatOps practices
- Cloud automation
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Defender integration
- Proofpoint security solutions
- VMware virtualization technologies
- Zero trust architecture
- Critical infrastructure modernization
- NIST 800-53 standards
- FedRAMP compliance
- Collaboration security measures
- Compliance standards
- Enterprise security
- FinOps principles
- Cost optimization
- Stakeholder engagement
- Identity management
- Infrastructure hardening techniques
- Problem solving
- Heavy lifting
- Heavy lifting
- Direct patient care
- Problem-solving
- Transportation services
- Supportive companionship
Earlier Experience
- Unified Communications Architect, Johnson & Johnson
- Exchange / M365 Engineer, Alcon
- Senior Systems Engineer, DHS
- Systems Engineer, PayPal
- Lync Engineer, Dell
Certification
- Public Trust Clearance
- HIPAA Compliance
- ITIL Certified
Accomplishments
- Reduced operational workload by 30–40% through automation and ChatOps implementation
- Improved enterprise security posture by approximately 25% across collaboration and messaging platforms
- Increased Microsoft Secure Score by approximately 15% through governance and security optimization initiatives
- Reduced Service Desk ticket volume by approximately 30% through proactive modernization and automation strategies
- Supported enterprise and federal environments requiring FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, CMMC, HIPAA, and Zero Trust alignment
- Delivered zero-downtime collaboration modernization initiatives across regulated enterprise environments
- Improved operational resiliency and platform stability across mission-critical communication infrastructures
Core Expertise
- Enterprise Collaboration Architecture
- Microsoft 365 GCC High
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Zoom
- Secure Communications
- Federal & Defense Collaboration Systems
- Critical Infrastructure Modernization
- Mission-Critical Collaboration Systems
- Zero Trust Architecture
- FedRAMP
- NIST 800-53
- CMMC
- Operational Resiliency
- Infrastructure Hardening
- Collaboration Security
- Governance & Compliance
- Change Management
- Technical Documentation
- Disaster Recovery
- High Availability
- Microsoft Defender
- Proofpoint
- VMware
- Hybrid Infrastructure
- Automation & ChatOps
- Identity & Access Management
- Executive Stakeholder Engagement
- FinOps
- Cost Optimization
Business Outcomes
- Delivered secure modernization initiatives supporting federal, defense, and critical infrastructure environments
- Reduced operational workload by 30–40% through automation and ChatOps solutions
- Improved security posture, operational resiliency, and compliance readiness across regulated enterprise environments
- Supported FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, CMMC, HIPAA, and Zero Trust compliance initiatives
- Led zero-downtime collaboration modernization and platform consolidation initiatives
Languages
English
Full Professional
Spanish
Limited
Greek
Native/ Bilingual
Italian
Elementary
Russian
Limited
Timeline
Family Caregiver
10.2024 - Current
Principal / Senior Solutions Architect
Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding
05.2024 - 10.2024
Senior Systems Architect / Teams SME
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HPE
01.2023 - 01.2024
M365 / Teams Voice Architect
Meijer
01.2021 - 01.2023
Some College (No Degree) - Business Management
Queensborough Community College