HDI Philly July 2026 Chapter Meeting

Join the HDI Philly Chapter on July 15 at Widener University for an interactive networking event with fellow IT professionals. Connect, collaborate, and explore ways to elevate IT’s impact on the business while building stronger teams.

 Lunch will be provided - Sponsorship opportunities available!

We would like to thank Widener University for letting us use their facility for the meeting. 

Meeting Location:

One University Place

Chester, PA 19013

Parking - Street parking is free. Parking is also available in Stang Parking Lot on E. 14th Street and Widener University Parking Lot on Melrose Avenue. 

We have two speakers who will be joining us this month:

This month we will be joined by two speakers: HDI Philly's own David Sharp and Marie Clark.

David Sharp, VP of Finance, HDI Philly Chapter

Beyond the Fire Drill: Proactive Planning in Service & Support

Too often, service and support teams and leaders find themselves in constant "firefighting mode," reacting to outages, scrambling for fixes, and celebrating recovery rather than prevention. This breakout session challenges that cycle by introducing a proactive blueprint for resilient operations. Drawing on decades of experience in both firefighting and IT service management, David Sharp demonstrates how organizations can evolve from reactive chaos to structured calm.

Through real-world stories, interactive exercises, and a practical framework, attendees will learn how to:

•  Identify their most common firefighting headaches
•  Apply proactive planning to service workflows
•  Strengthen resilience through smarter operations and cultural change
•  Leave with one clear, actionable commitment to implement immediately

This session blends technical rigor with human-centered storytelling, equipping participants to optimize service and support operations while building a culture of preparedness.

"We've all been there, the 2 AM outage that feels like a five‑alarm fire. I've lived it both as a firefighter and in IT, and I know how draining it is to keep scrambling. In this session, I'll share the lessons that helped me move teams from chaos to calm, and how proactive planning beats constant firefighting every time. You'll hear real stories, try out a few interactive exercises, and walk through a simple blueprint that shows how smarter operations and cultural shifts can stop the cycle. Whether you're leading a team or just trying to keep the lights on, you'll leave with practical tools and one clear action you can put into practice before you walk out the door."

Marie Clark, Career Coach, Move to Joy Coaching

Marie Clark is a business coach, speaker, entrepreneur, and the lead Possibility Partner at Move to Joy Coaching, where she helps high-achieving women move from burnout and overwhelm to clarity, purpose, and joy.  With more than 15 years of experience leading high-impact transformation projects, Marie has worked with everyone from front-line teams to C-suite executives, helping people move from chaos to real progress. Her background in education, leadership development, communication, and change management gives her a practical, grounded approach — but her work is ultimately about people, not corporate buzzwords. Through her coaching and speaking, Marie helps women who are tired of chasing success at the cost of their well-being reconnect with what truly matters. Her talks are honest, energizing, and filled with simple, actionable shifts that help audiences move from survival mode toward work and life that feel aligned, meaningful, and joyful.

Marie holds certifications from PMI, ITIL, HDI and others. She is a past president of HDI Philadelphia and past Regional Director for the HDI Northeast Region.

Topic:  Finding Your Purpose: Creating a MAP to Fulfillment

Many of us are not feeling fulfilled in life. From work that feels meaningless to relationships that grow and change, we often struggle to get that bone-deep satisfaction. Not because we don’t want to have a purpose, but because it seems elusive and hard to articulate, let alone act on.

In this conversation, we will:

• Explore how to know when you have found your purpose
• Techniques to identify your purpose
• Finding purpose at work and outside of work
• Determine next steps to move from knowing to doing - and to joy.

Save these dates in 2026:

• August 6 - Trenton Thunder
• September 16 - TBA
• December 4 - Awards and Leadership Conference