When you think of the Microsoft Regional Directors what usually comes to mind are really amazing speakers at conferences like DevDays, Tech*ED (last year we had two RDs place #1 at two Tech*Eds) and the North Africa Developers Conference. You think of great authors and things like .NET Rocks.

RDs are truly great. But even if you collect together 150 amazing colleagues from around the world and put them all in a room together, there would be nothing without the proper organization. Leadership is key. General George Washington was less of a man (and General) without Martha (just ask the solders who she brought socks to).

For the past three years I have had the pleasure or working with the best PM at Microsoft, Eileen Crain. As of today Eileen is no longer the PM of the Regional Director Program or as I like to refer to it, the “RD Mom”. She has went on to bigger and better things at Microsoft.

Eileen has worked behind the scenes to make sure that the RDs got speaking engagements, in front of large customers, or any other kind of exposure. She also would always offer to take us out to dinner when we were in town! (Or drive me home when I drank too much. ). Whether it was planning a new marketing initiative or RD party at Tech*ED, she did it very thoroughly.

The RD program has been around for over 10 years and in years past you only heard of RDs at DevDays. Eileen has worked real hard to make us knows-and it worked. In the last few years the visibility of the RDs has grown and it is all due to Eileen.

Also Eileen has been someone who I would turn to for business advice and even personal advice. She would even pick up the phone at 2am when I was complaining about “the girl” or when a group of RDs would call (in a drunken stupor) from Cairo, Casablanca or Kuala Lumpur.

Eileen I will miss you and I wish you the best.

PS-people usually have to think really hard to figure out my titles most of the time, but this title was one of those “you had to be there ones” in Dallas at Tech*ED in 2003, a bunch of RDs (led by me!) got on stage and did “Killing me Softly” Karaoke and dedicated it Eileen.