CompTIA Newsroom

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, former FBI operative Eric O’Neill scheduled to speak at tech industry’s premier conference for education, networking and partnering

Downers Grove, Ill. – CompTIA, the leading trade association for the global technology industry, announced today that basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal and former FBI counter intelligence agent Eric O’Neill have been confirmed as keynote speakers for ChannelCon 2019, the technology industry’s premier annual conference for education, networking and partnering.

ChannelCon 2019 is scheduled for August 5 through 7 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

“Beyond his many accomplishments on the basketball court, Shaquille O’Neal has been just as successful away from the arena as a businessman, brand ambassador and investor,” said Kelly Ricker, executive vice president for events and education at CompTIA.

“Eric O’Neill is one of the nation’s foremost experts on espionage, national security, cybersecurity, fraud, corporate diligence and defense,” Ricker continued.  “We’ve been privileged to welcome many top-notch speakers to past conferences, but our 2019 keynote lineup may be our strongest yet.”

Shaquille O'Neal was among most dominant basketball players in NBA history. In a 19-year professional career he was a Rookie of the Year, league MVP, 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA Team selection, four-time NBA champion and an Olympic gold medalist. He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.  

Away from court he’s experienced success in acting, music and television. His business ventures extend into restaurants, fitness centers, real estate and technology, including as an early investor in Google. O’Neal is also a national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and has participated in campaigns with the non-profit for more than a decade.

Eric O’Neill has worked as an FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, a national security attorney and as a corporate security consultant. He founded The Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security services firm.  He is also the National Security Strategist for Carbon Black, the leader in next generation endpoint security.

In February 2001, O’Neill helped capture the most notorious spy in United States history, Robert Phillip Hanssen. In the three months preceding Hanssen’s arrest, Eric was selected to work with the spy within the newly minted information assurance division, created to protect classified FBI intelligence. O’Neill was charged with gaining Hanssen’s trust and then using that relationship to slowly draw the traitor out of deep cover.  His investigative skill led to the arrest and ultimate conviction of the master spy.

ChannelCon 2019 Registration Options

CompTIA offers the tech community several options to attend ChannelCon.

Premier Members of the association receive unlimited complementary conference registrations for their entire company as part of the annual membership dues.

Registered users and technology solution provider non-members can attend ChannelCon for just $350, which includes a complimentary one-year CompTIA Premier Membership. Technology vendor and distributor non-members pay just $675 and can apply the fee to annual member dues.

First-time solution provider attendees can take advantage of a special offer to attend ChannelCon 2019 at no cost by registering with promo code TRYBUY19.

For complete details on ChannelCon 2019, and to register and plan your attendance at the conference, visit https://www.comptia.org/channelcon/home.

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About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 50 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
+1 (630) 678-8468
sostrowski@comptia.org­