TIM GABAREE
Information Technology Executive
Strategic IT leader with a commitment to fostering a culture of empathy, coaching, collaboration, and empowerment. Hands-on leadership approach to guiding strategic projects and managing global operations with robust team engagement. Builds and leads high-performing teams, leveraging our collective drive for success to fuel business growth and lasting impact.
​
Develops enduring, high-impact client relationships. Catalyzes transformative business processes, specializing in revitalizing underperforming sectors and delivering critical projects on time and within budget. Leads innovation in creating effective solutions for complex challenges.
​
Currently located in Chicago, IL.
Open to travel, remote, hybrid & on-site.
EXPERIENCE
November 2022 | June 2023
Director of Network Services
Led a team of 30 while promoting a collaborative culture and transparent communication to enhance productivity. Oversaw network services analytics, budgeting, and forecasting, designed global networking solutions, and created process and risk control strategies.
June 2021 | November 2022
Director of Infrastructure Services
Served as an ally to stakeholders, delivering technology-centric approaches to inform decision-making and propel future endeavors while leading technology ventures in data analytics, cloud, and cyber security. Executed automation and data transformation strategies to ensure data integrity and compliance, including GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and NIST 800-53.
January 2016 | June 2021
Senior Manager of Network Operations
Advanced to this role to head the Network Services Group under a $115M contract. Managed network security, wireless, wired, cloud, and roaming services for the client and served as a strategic liaison between the company and client, synchronizing technology with business objectives. Collaborated with senior leadership to develop technology strategies and roadmaps, aligning them with customer and organizational goals.
January 2014 | January 2016
Senior Principal Network Engineer
Oversaw large-scale projects through all phases, revitalizing critical contracts and optimizing resources by strengthening stakeholder relationships, achieving a 100% positive turnaround with previously at-risk customers.
October 2010 | January 2014
Senior Network Engineer
Designed and managed virtualized environments, network, and security infrastructure for a client’s private cloud, working with a team of subject matter experts to productize for further revenue generation.
RESULTS
96%
Reversed high attrition among engineering staff by prioritizing diversity, inclusion, empowerment, and leadership development, improving retention from 50% to over 96% YoY.
$80M
Directed the design and implementation of an $80M sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) for multi-client and multi-classification use, doubling the facility's profit margin.
$25M+
Rectified discrepancies in a government agency's historical financial data and recommended fiscal governance, identifying a projected cost savings of $25M+ within three years.
EXPERTISE
EDUCATION
-
Organizational & Workforce Development
-
Strategic Planning
-
Technical Transformations
-
Compliance
-
Security Modernization
-
ITIL
-
IT Service Management
-
IT Governance
-
Cloud Rationalization
-
Data Analytics
-
Operations Management
-
Leadership
(BS) Analytics
Summa Cum Laude
MEET TIM
Q & A
Why did you choose your profession?
I chose IT as my profession because I was fascinated by how computers worked. Starting at the age of 12, I was programming and learning to break encryption on games, finding it more rewarding to see how they worked than playing them. This opened a career path in computers where I could continuously learn and solve complex challenges.
Who is the one person who has done the most to shape you into who you are today?
How was the person significant to you?
My mom has had the most profound impact on shaping me into who I am today. Her life lessons are invaluable. From a young age, she instilled a strong sense of accountability, encouraged me to consistently strive for excellence, and emphasized the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. Her influence was evident when, as a 10-year-old paperboy, I persevered through freezing rainstorms to fulfill my commitment to hand-delivering newspapers to my 110-house route. Her guidance extended to fostering a sense of empathy and empowerment, as she encouraged me to befriend and mentor a special needs teen in our neighborhood. With her assistance, I got him a job as a paperboy when I was a branch captain at the age of 12, and we worked together towards his success. My mom's guidance taught me the importance of helping and empowering others. Additionally, she inspired me to give back by coaching kids in sports during my teenage years and beyond, mirroring the support I received from others when I was a child.
What has been the greatest accomplishment of your life so far?
Is there anything you wish to do even better?
The most significant accomplishment of my life so far has been cultivating a meaningful sense of gratitude through one of the lessons I've learned. My dad suffered a stroke when I was a teenager. The deep physical and emotional toll on my dad and the rest of our family, and his death a few years later, left a significant mark on our lives. Through the grief and questions of why this would happen to us, we slowly healed and gained a deep and lasting empathy for others and a profound thankfulness for the time we had with him and his meaning in our lives. I've come to appreciate the importance of family, friends, and finding purpose in life. I will always aspire to remember this invaluable lesson and continue to navigate life with grace, humility, and purpose.
How would your peers and team members describe your responsiveness as a leader?
During my time as an infantry soldier, I learned valuable principles that heavily influenced my leadership style. One of the most important values instilled in me was the significance of empowering team members and fostering their growth, both individually and as a cohesive unit. We were taught to acknowledge our own strengths and weaknesses, and how to improve upon them. This was based on a pragmatic approach that emphasized the importance of engendering true loyalty by involving soldiers in the plan and solution, empowering them to play their part in the mission's success.
This is like the leadership approach illustrated by the fictional character, Ted Lasso. Ted acknowledges his limitations and actively works towards improvement. He builds a culture of collaboration, trust, and support while coaching and mentoring his teammates to reach their full potential. He knows that if each team member is genuinely empowered, the team will find greatness.
Positive feedback from my peers and team members shows alignment with these approaches as I continue to grow on my leadership journey.
INTERESTS & HOBBIES
COFFEE ROASTING
CHOCOLATIERING
PIZZA MAKING
TESTIMONIALS
“Working with Tim is an experience I would recommend to anyone looking for a professional and a great leader. Tim is driven to understand all aspects of a problem and works through all potential solutions to find the correct and most effective resolution without introducing any other potential issues. His dedication to delivering high-quality, high-fidelity solutions, and deep knowledge transfer makes interacting with him a very enjoyable experience.
Tim takes the time to mentor and encourage others to grow and expand their breadth of knowledge. Not only was I a recipient of Tim's encouragement and mentoring, but I saw others on the teams we worked with lifted to places beyond their planned career path. This ability to see in others, potential and abilities makes Tim a strategic leader in many ways. Tim seeks to enrich everyone's lives in ways not limited to employment but full life experiences. Tim shares his passion for many things related to work or personal growth with others without hesitation.
Tim was never afraid to speak up or jump in to keep a process or project moving. His tireless enthusiasm for problem-solving helped us find many solutions to direct impacts on our operations when others had thrown in the towel. An excellent example of this was a twenty-six-hour day we put in together. Others told us the solution we were trying to implement would never work. Tim kept us moving, and we delivered on our promise to have the work completed. The improvement was immediately noticeable to our clients.
There are many examples of Tim taking the initiative to deliver or help others deliver tangible results to clients; the above stuck out the most in my mind as that cemented in my mind that if I ever had the opportunity to work with Tim on a project that we would be delivering nothing short of success.
Tim has a broad base of knowledge not commonly found in others. And when it comes to IT, from the facility to the cloud, there isn't an aspect of the technology Tim doesn't understand or know how to leverage into a complete success.”
Dan Southwick, Principal ProdOps Engineer
Research Innovations Incorporated
“As the Network Services Government lead, I have worked in IT for about 15 years, and Tim Gabaree has been one of the most talented and knowledgeable Network Engineers I have worked with. Constantly forward-thinking and anticipating new Network Infrastructure capabilities, Tim always tried to ensure that our organization was leaning on the cutting edge of technology. It was hard considering the federal government's budget constraints. Tim was sought out as the individual for all things IT. Even when it did not pertain to the Network environment, every IT professional in the organization sought out Tim's expertise and knowledge base. Tim helped the organization save countless resources and man-hours, even after he had moved on from the organization.
​
​Tim is a great leader who ensures his team has the best training and hands-on experience, empowering his staff/team to make the best decisions in planning, developing, implementing, monitoring, and maintaining the Network. As a dedicated leader, Tim encourages his team always to grow educationally and professionally. He puts them in positions to take on leadership roles in the organization or at outside organizations.”
Roderick Adams, Government Lead, Network Services
Executive Office for Immigration Review, Office of Information Technology
“As a Direct Report to Tim, I appreciated his direction and management. He garnered much respect from the team as he took on the challenges of the Director of Network Services. I appreciated the technical and managerial skills he challenged me to master under his tutelage.
Tim guided our Project Engineering Team through the busiest site refresh season in our company's history. His organizational skill and adaptability kept projects on schedule while making sure we were capitalizing on all our efforts to grow the bottom line. The result is that we are finishing out the refresh installation season strong. I learned a lot from Tim; he took care of his employees and was genuinely concerned with work-life balance but always focused on getting the job done!”
Stephen Mouser, Network OPS QA Manager
Apogee, Inc.
“Daddy’s a goofball.”
Clint Gabaree, Son (5)
The Gabaree Family
“I love Daddy sooo much!”
Finn Gabaree, Son (3)
The Gabaree Family
“Tim Gabarée is the ultimate leader and team builder. He gets to know each of his teammates to be sure he knows their knowledge sets, goals, and aspirations to ensure he can facilitate their careers and fully utilize them within the company, openly encouraging conversations that show he cares about the person, maintaining 100% retention while upping performance within his authority, whether scoped or matrixed. He extends himself to search and fight for excellent training opportunities that serve each teammate to the best extent possible and better serve the company's future, ensuring 'Mission First' remains paramount. Tim provides vision, mentors, and trains his employees constantly, sharing knowledge so that nothing is one person deep and communication up and down the organization is fully open. His leadership has produced valued leaders and only continues this path. Tim's natural and learned leadership abilities demonstrate his understanding of bottom-up/top-down management and how important it is to care for and cultivate the talent one already has on the team. Everyone wants to be on his team because they are treated well and valued. And their careers are developed with the kind of care that someone would do for themselves. This is also reflected in their loyalty to the company. Tim's work ethic is incredible. He will work tirelessly and with a phenomenal attitude, encouraging and leading others at any time of day or night until the mission is complete. His approach to his work is always the same--with a fantastic attitude, with no less than an optimal acceptable solution. He won't settle but instead finds innovative, long-term solutions. If the job is not done, he is not done.
Between work ethic, leader and innovator, you cannot find a more dynamic, better communicator or overall employee to manage and lead your workforce and company's direction into the future.”