Russ Fustino receives 2013 Microsoft® MVP Award!

Just minutes ago, I received the email from my MVP lead, Dora Chan, giving me the good news that I have been selected as a MVP in Client Development! It was right before I did my session at DevConnections in Vegas on Building a Win 8 app from scratch! How appropriate? I announced it to the crowd and got a good round of applause! Looks like my Birthday pub crawl I am planning on Nov 12, will now be a MVP achievement celebration, huh? So, those in the Tampa area, pencil it in. More details to follow on Facebook. I am very thankful to the great group of folks I work with a ComponentOne as well as the influentials and developers that I network with, day in and day out, heading up developer evangelism here at C1, including Microsoft DE Joe Healy. When I left Microsoft over 4 years ago, I never let up on developer community building and am very proud to receive this coveted award in the software industry. For those unfamiliar with the program here is an overview taken from the MVP Site… “The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award is our way of saying thank you to exceptional, independent community leaders who share their passion, technical expertise, and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with others. It is part of Microsoft’s commitment to supporting and enriching technical communities. Even before the rises of the Internet and social media, people have come together to willingly offer their ideas and best practices in technical communities. At Microsoft, we recognize the vital role these individuals play in the adoption and advancement of technology—and in helping our customers do great things with our products. This was the inspiration for the Microsoft MVP Award. Nearly two decades ago, we awarded 37 technical community leaders as MVPs. Today, there are more than 4,000 MVPs worldwide. They represent more than 90 countries, speak over 40 languages, answer more than 10 million questions a year, and are awarded in almost 90 Microsoft technologies—reflecting the breadth of our products and our global communities.” from Steve Ballmer… “As the independent voice of users worldwide, your influence on technical communities is felt in many ways—enhancing people’s lives and contributing to our industry’s success. We’re deeply grateful to you for sharing your feedback, comments, answers, and expertise with technical communities. In recognition of your commitment, Microsoft is pleased to honor you with the Most Valuable Professional Award. Thank you for empowering the community with your outstanding leadership! “ Steven A. Ballmer Chief Executive Officer Microsoft Corporation …and the MVP reward letter from: Rich Kaplan Corporate Vice President Customer and Partner Advocacy Microsoft Corporation

MVP Reward Letter MVP Reward Letter from Rich Kaplan, Microsoft Corp VP

Photo taken moments ago at DevConnections in Las Vegas, in my session on Building a Windows 8 from Scratch. I delivered this session right after I found out about getting the MVP Award.