James Summerall
Frisco,TX
Summary
Senior Technology Leader with 20+ years delivering enterprise applications, ERP transformations, and cloud migrations across transit, retail, and government. Proven record of managing $50M+ portfolios, cutting downtime by 80%, and leading global teams of 10–20 staff to deliver secure, scalable, and compliant systems. Recognized for executive-level reporting, vendor governance, and mentoring teams through structured bi-weekly huddles and monthly one-on-ones.
Knowledgeable IT Manager oversees technology deployment and maintenance. Instructs and leads IT staff members in support of hardware, software and networking infrastructure. Actively works with executives to determine and implement tech needs. Manages technology strategy, training and documentation.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Technology Manager
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
05.2023 - Current
- Cut invoice processing cycle times by 30% by modernizing enterprise applications across Finance and Ops.
- Delivered quarterly portfolio updates to the CFO and Board, aligning $12M+ IT investments with agency strategy.
- Negotiated multi-year vendor agreements that cut operating costs 18% while ensuring PCI compliance.
- Spearheaded IBM FileNet expansion across departments, improving compliance, document accessibility, and records governance.
- Optimized asset lifecycle management by leveraging IBM Maximo, strengthening preventive maintenance tracking and regulatory reporting.
- Facilitated bi-weekly team huddles and monthly 1:1s, enhancing collaboration, performance, and retention.
- Implemented KPI dashboards in Power BI, enabling executives to track adoption, costs, and system performance in real time.
- Collaborated with other departments to help meet IT needs and properly integrate and secure systems.
- Implemented and maintained technology and software budget.
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Michaels Stores
06.2022 - 05.2023
- Delivered 3 major enterprise releases on schedule, coordinating development pods and release management.
- Partnered with executives on quarterly roadmap reviews, balancing priorities and tradeoffs across IT and business.
- Standardized PMO practices, reducing project delivery risk by 15% and increasing throughput.
- Championed vendor engagement, ensuring timely and compliant SaaS deployments.
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
06.2022 - 07.2022
- Oversaw compliance initiatives, ensuring 100% alignment with federal and enterprise regulations.
- Designed executive dashboards for CIO reporting, increasing project visibility across governance forums.
- Developed risk management frameworks, accelerating issue resolution by 20%.
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Affinity Carriers
03.2020 - 05.2022
- Directed vendor selection and contract negotiation, cutting IT operations costs 12% annually.
- Produced monthly executive reports on risk, costs, and performance, improving transparency.
- Created product requirements and oversaw execution, launching 2 new operational systems on time.
SAP Project Manager
BNSF Railway
01.2016 - 09.2019
- Led $25M SAP portfolio (ECC6, BW, CRM, SRM) with cloud integrations to Salesforce, SuccessFactors, and Coupa.
- Directed multi-team cutovers with zero critical business disruption during migrations.
- Partnered with Finance on quarterly budget cycles, ensuring projects stayed within a 2% variance to forecast.
- Piloted IBM FileNet integration for enterprise document workflows, aligning SAP with compliance and record-keeping standards.
Senior SAP System Engineer Lead
BNSF Railway
10.2011 - 09.2019
- Supervised 14 SAP Basis administrators managing 400+ servers, meeting 99.6% uptime SLA.
- Reduced downtime by 80% through proactive infrastructure and landscape redesign.
- Coordinated annual DR testing and compliance audits, ensuring regulatory readiness.
- Resolved issues and escalated problems with knowledgeable support and quality service.
- Maintained stability, integrity and efficient operation of information systems supporting organizational functions.
Lead SAP Basis Administrator
HollyFrontier
12.2006 - 10.2011
- Directed SAP upgrades and migrations, ensuring seamless business continuity.
- Implemented SAP Solution Manager & TDMS, presented adoption results at ASUG 2008.
- Earned two presidential awards for exemplary leadership in SAP operations.
- Participated in designing, scaling and implementing databases created to customer specifications.
- Installed kernel upgrades per technical documentation guidelines, adhering to SAP's best practices.
- Recommended and built custom indexes within SAP database solutions.
- Drafted database reorganization strategies to reduce hardware and operational waste.
SAP Basis Administrator
Centex Homes
03.2005 - 12.2006
- Managed SAP XI 3.0 implementation, upgrading from 4.7 to ECC 5.0.
- Delivered weekly performance reports to IT leadership, improving decision-making.
SAP Basis Administrator
Pilgrim's Pride
06.2004 - 03.2005
- Administered SAP R/3 4.6/4.7, BW, XI, and Crystal Reports.
- Supported transport management and system upgrades, cutting average outage windows by 25%.
- Applied necessary support packs to SAP and Oracle products, maintaining up-to-date and secure software installations.
SAP Basis Specialist
U.S. Department of Justice
05.2001 - 06.2004
- Delivered SAP R/3 administration and security management for federal systems.
- Maintained network infrastructure, achieving 99% availability across mission-critical servers.
Education
MBA - Information Systems
University of Texas At Dallas
Richardson, TX01-2009
Master of Information Technology -
American Intercontinental University
Plantation, FL01.2001
Bachelor's Degree -
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN01-1992
Skills
Technical proficiency
- Enterprise Applications & ERP (SAP ECC6, Salesforce, SuccessFactors)
- IBM FileNet – enterprise content & records management
- IBM Maximo – asset and maintenance management systems
- Power BI – KPI dashboards, executive reporting, and data visualization
- GIS Technologies – spatial analysis and operations planning
- Security & Compliance (PCI DSS, SOX, ITIL, Continuity Planning)
Collaborative team management
- Executive Communication & Stakeholder Influence
- Team Mentorship & Professional Growth (bi-weekly huddles, monthly 1:1s)
- Risk & Crisis Management under High-Pressure Environments
- Strategic Roadmap Planning & Governance
- Change Management & Organizational Readiness
- Technical leadership
Timeline
Senior Technology Manager
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
05.2023 - Current
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Michaels Stores
06.2022 - 05.2023
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
06.2022 - 07.2022
Senior Program Manager – Technology
Affinity Carriers
03.2020 - 05.2022
SAP Project Manager
BNSF Railway
01.2016 - 09.2019
Senior SAP System Engineer Lead
BNSF Railway
10.2011 - 09.2019
Lead SAP Basis Administrator
HollyFrontier
12.2006 - 10.2011
SAP Basis Administrator
Centex Homes
03.2005 - 12.2006
SAP Basis Administrator
Pilgrim's Pride
06.2004 - 03.2005
SAP Basis Specialist
U.S. Department of Justice
05.2001 - 06.2004
MBA - Information Systems
University of Texas At Dallas
Master of Information Technology -
American Intercontinental University
Bachelor's Degree -
Indiana University
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