With advanced degrees in computers and secondary education, along with several IT certifications, Dr. Perez brings more than 35 years' experience to the podcast as an IT/higher ed professional. Having served as Business Intelligence Specialist at NC State University and currently serving as Senior Systems Analyst/Team Lead at the NC Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Perez stays active in the IT community with more than 11,000 LinkedIn followers. In addition to his fulltime leadership role at DHHS, Joe was named Chief Technology Officer at SolonTek corporation in October 2020. A highly-recommended international keynote speaker, data analytics/visualization expert, and specialist in efficiency/process improvement, he is indeed a much sought-after resource. When taking a break from work, Joe sings, plays the piano, composes songs, does guest appearances on nationally-recognized podcasts, and has performed PSA's & voice-overs for schools and other organizations. He also serves as speaker, interpreter, & music director to his church’s Hispanic ministry and (if there's any time left) enjoys publishing a monthly military newsletter. "I’m a firm believer that if I’m not innovating, I’m stagnating," says Joe. In our episode we talk about how to get over the fear of public speaking and how important the story is for conveying data science insights.